'SARS-CoV-2 emerging in US, immunity levels are waning', warns US epidemiologist

According to US epidemiologist Eric Feigl-Ding, there is evidence of SARS-CoV-2 resurging in the United States, indicating the emergence of a new COVID-19 wave.

Taking to Twitter, Epidemiologist and health economist Eric Feigl-Ding said that the immunity levels are declining, and the availability of new booster shots is not yet imminent.

“A new COVID wave is clearly emerging in the US, all while immunity levels are waning and new boosters aren’t even close to arriving yet. You don’t need another original Omicron winter wave to cause disruption—the Delta variant killed a lot in Aug-Oct 2021. Plus don’t risk Long Covid.”

Speaking on the effective SARS-CoV-2 virus concentration in the last six months. “The upward movement in wastewater puts us about equal to April levels, but we clearly could be headed to another wave.”

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Meanwhile, when asked about the potential toll of the new wave compared to the Delta variant, Eric explained that while it might not result in the same level of fatalities, it can still cause significant disruption.

He emphasized that hospitals can easily become overwhelmed even without a surge in deaths.

Earlier in June, Reuters reported that COVID-19 vaccines being developed and manufactured for the 2023-2024 campaign should target one of the currently dominant XBB variants, the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) staff reviewers.

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In May, an advisory group to the World Health Organization (WHO) proposed updating the COVID-19 booster shots for the year to target XBB subvariants. In the United States, last year's COVID vaccine boosters included a bivalent shot containing both the original strain of the vaccine and the Omicron variant.

According to CDC data available up to early May, approximately 17% of people in the United States received a COVID booster shot during the 2022-2023 vaccination season.

Vaccine manufacturers such as Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna Inc, and Novavax Inc are currently in the process of developing updated versions of their COVID-19 vaccines specifically targeting the XBB.1.5 variant and other strains that are currently circulating, Reuters reported.

(With inputs from agencies)