Covid, variant Bq.1 in Europe: Cerberus will become dominant

Variant Bq.1 is circulating in Europe, which together with sub-variant Bq.1.1 will become dominant in the old continent from mid-November-early December, contributing to an increase in Covid-19 cases in the short term. This is the scenario envisaged by the European Center for Disease Control (Ecdc), in the epidemiological update on Covid published today. The Cerberus family, as it has been dubbed Bq.1.1, will become the dominant strain in Europe in early winter. Reporting the greatest circulation of Bq.1 in the last week are France (19% sequences), Belgium (9%), Ireland (7%), the Netherlands (6%) and Italy (5%). Preliminary laboratory studies conducted in Asia indicate that Bq.1 has the ability to considerably evade the immune system response. However, according to currently available data, albeit limited, there is no evidence that Bq.1 is associated with a higher severity of the infection than Omicron Ba.4 / Ba.5.