Who is most affected amid the emergence of a new coronavirus strain FLiRT - an expert's answer
Kyiv • UNN
The incidence of COVID-19 is increasing in Ukraine due to the new FLiRT strain. Mostly people of working age and the elderly are affected, due to the strain's characteristics, heat, and crowding in air-conditioned rooms.
Statistics show an increase in the incidence of COVID-19 in Ukraine in recent weeks, amid the emergence of a new strain of coronavirus, FLiRT. The main reasons for this are the peculiarities of the new strain, heat and crowding in air-conditioned rooms, and the highest concentration of cases among working-age people and the elderly. Director General of the Center for Public Health Mykhailo Rosada recently told about this during a telethon, UNN reports.
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"The new strain of coronavirus is a subspecies of the well-known covid Omicron virus. It is perhaps a little more contagious, more infectious, let's say, but the clinical picture observed as a result of contracting it is even slightly milder than in previous years from the usual covid strain," Rosada said.
"Statistics show that the pace has increased in recent weeks. And there are features of the strain itself. But we also need to take into account that the high temperature was at work. Since a large number of people were indoors with air conditioning, there was no air exchange, and this crowded situation also led to an increase in the incidence of covid," said the head of the Public Health Center.
According to his data, the children's group, aged 5 to 17, is the least affected. "That is, children who are currently on vacation," he said.
"And the largest concentration among the sick are people of working age - 30-60 years old. And, accordingly, the elderly," Rosada said.
Symptoms and signs of the disease, he said, are the same as in any acute respiratory illness: fever, weakness, cough.
"The most vulnerable group for it is the elderly and people with chronic diseases. And, of course, people who have not been vaccinated against covid before are at a higher risk of getting sick," the expert said.
