More infectious and more likely to become seriously ill! New coronavirus BQ.1 strikes Europe and the United States, how much impact? The United States may suffer a "triple epidemic"

New Coronavirus BQ.1 is quietly spreading in Europe, and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) predicted earlier this month that the Omicron BQ.1 subline variant and its offshoots could drive the outbreak in the coming weeks and months.

The outbreak situation in the U.S. is becoming more complex in the winter of 2022, and U.S. experts are warning of a possible "triple epidemic" in the U.S. this winter - a confluence of neonatal, influenza and respiratory syncytial viruses - as reported by Fortune magazine on Oct. 30 in Reference News. Due to the recent surge in the number of infections, some U.S. children's hospitals are already at full capacity, including the Seattle Children's Emergency Department, which has seen a record number of pediatric patients in October.

The latest data released by the World Health Organization show that as of early October, the prevalence of BQ.1 is 6% and has been detected in 65 countries and territories. the global prevalence of XBB is 1.3% and has been detected in 35 countries and territories.

Germany has seen a spike in cases, but authorities have yet to determine which is the main variant causing the infection.

Ali Mokdad, a professor at the University of Washington Health Institute, said people could see the same scenario in other European countries as well as in the United States. According to media reports, the number of cases of hospitalizations for new coronavirus infections in the United States climbed for the first time since July.

On Oct. 30, reference news.com reported that U.S. experts warned that the U.S. could see a "triple epidemic" overlap in the winter of 2022 - a confluence of neonatal, influenza and respiratory syncytial viruses - and that hospital admissions for neonatal infections have risen for the first time since July. The rate of hospital admissions for NICs is also on the rise for the first time since July.

Worryingly, neonatal is not the only virus causing an increase in the number of infections in the United States.