International
What is known about the new coronavirus variants under surveillance in the Americas?

August 28|
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has recently published a technical note on two variants of Omicron, descendants of the coronavirus, which have been under scrutiny in recent months.
These are the variants known scientifically as EG.5 and BA.2.86 and, to date, the findings suggest that, despite their presence, there appears to be no significant change in their impact on public health.
EG.5, the variant that put scientists on alert
EG.5, a variant derived from XBB.1.9.2 (itself from Omicron), was first detected in February 2023. But it was only last August 9 that health authorities classified it as a “Variant of Interest” (VOI). The PAHO report notes that there has been a steady increase in the proportion of reported EG.5 infections worldwide, and that countries such as Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, the United States and the Dominican Republic have also noted this trend. However, so far, no significant changes in disease severity related to this sublineage have been detected.
BA.2.86, variant under surveillance
BA.2.86 initially emerged in a sample taken in Denmark at the end of July 2023. Although it has been detected in other regions, only a total of seven sequences have been reported to date. The World Health Organization (WHO) classified it as a variant under surveillance on August 17 because it has a considerable number of mutations in the genes of the virus spicule.
So far, the available evidence on BA.2.86 is limited, which has led PAHO to indicate that “initial risk assessment will be generated shortly”. This suggests that more research is needed to better understand its transmission capacity, its ability to evade immune response and its potential severity.
Public health risk alert
PAHO has assessed the public health risk posed by EG.5 as low and comparable to that of other currently circulating variants of concern. However, the outlook for BA.2.86 is still under evaluation, underscoring the importance of maintaining constant vigilance on these emerging variants.
PAHO together with the World Health Organization (WHO) have reiterated that the recommendations to combat the spread of COVID-19 remain unchanged. In addition, it has urged all countries in the region to continue to collect representative samples for sequencing and to maintain adequate genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2. This is essential as the virus continues to circulate and evolve.
WHO warns that many countries are underreporting new cases
Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO technical lead for COVID-19 issues, has reported that the EG.5 variant of the Omicron virus has a higher transmission capacity, but does not appear to be more severe than other variants.
In Van Kerkhove’s words, “we did not detect a change in the severity of the EG.5 variant compared to other Omicron sublineages that have been circulating since late 2021.” This suggests that, despite its increased ability to transmit, the EG.5 variant does not appear to cause a more severe form of the disease compared to other previously identified Omicron variants.
For his part, WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed concern that many countries were not reporting COVID-19-related data to WHO. He said that only 11% of countries had reported on hospitalizations and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions related to the virus.
In response to this situation, WHO issued a set of standing recommendations for COVID-19. In these recommendations, it urged countries to continue to report data on COVID-19, especially mortality and morbidity data, and to continue to offer vaccination.
Maria Van Kerkhove emphasized that the lack of data from many countries is hampering efforts to combat the virus. “About a year ago, we were in a much better situation to anticipate, act or be more agile. And now, the delay in our ability to do that is growing. And our ability to do so is decreasing,” he stressed.
The situation in the Americas
According to data provided by WHO, the health agency responsible for monitoring the evolution of the coronavirus worldwide, the last month has seen an alarming increase in the number of new cases of COVID-19, with more than 1.4 million new cases reported, representing a 63% increase compared to the previous period.
However, there has been a 56% decrease in the number of deaths during the same period. These data underscore the continued need to maintain stringent control and surveillance measures.
However, they stress that as the SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to evolve, it is essential to maintain constant monitoring of emerging variants such as EG.5 and BA.2.86.
Although the risks appear to be low at this time, the situation may change, and it is vital to follow the recommendations of public health authorities and maintain active surveillance to ensure an effective response to the ongoing pandemic.
International
China shows at the UN its “condemnation” of Israel for the “violation of Iran’s sovereignty”

The Chinese ambassador to the United Nations, Fu Cong, showed the “condemnation” of his country against the “violation of the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of Iran” after the air attack launched by Israel against multiple targets in that country, the official newspaper Diario del Pueblo reports this Saturday.
That media echoes Fu’s speech to the UN Security Council on Friday, in which he demanded that Israel “immediately stop all its military actions.”
“China (…) opposes the expansion of conflicts, and is deeply concerned about the serious consequences that may arise from Israel’s actions. The intensification of regional tensions does not interest any of the parties involved,” said the Chinese emissary.
Beijing called on Tel Aviv and Tehran to “resolve their disputes through political and diplomatic means, and maintain peace and stability at the regional level jointly.”
In Fu’s view, the Israeli attack will have a “negative impact” on the negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program: “China has always been committed to the peaceful resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue through dialogue and consultations, and opposes the use of force, illegal unilateral sanctions and armed attacks on peaceful nuclear facilities.”
This Friday, China had already expressed its willingness to “play a constructive role” to curb the escalation of tensions and facilitate conciliation, in line with its traditional position of active neutrality in the region’s conflicts.
The Israeli attack, which according to Tehran caused dozens of deaths, including senior military commanders and at least six nuclear scientists, targeted key facilities such as the uranium enrichment plant in Natanz. Numerous civilian casualties were also reported.
Israel justified the offensive by claiming that the Iranian regime is secretly developing a program to manufacture nuclear weapons.
For his part, Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, promised a “severe response” and assured that the attack would reveal the “evil nature” of Israel.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres also expressed concern about the bombing, at a time when Iran and the US The United States is holding talks about the Iranian nuclear program.
International
Donald Trump’s government pauses its program of indiscriminate raides against migrants

The government of US President Donald Trump has decided to pause its campaign of discretionary roundings against migrants in certain areas due to its apparent concern about the growing unpopularity of these methods, according to The New York Times newspaper on Friday.
According to an email to which the newspaper has had access and the confirmation of US officials, the Executive has ordered the Immigration and Customs Control Service (ICE) to pause the beatings that affect the agricultural industry and the hospitality industry.
The spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, Tricia McLaughlin, confirmed in a statement that “the president’s instructions” will be obeyed and the portfolio will also continue to “work to get the worst illegal foreign criminals out of the streets of the United States.”
The decision points out that this campaign of discretionary arrests to try to deport large-scale immigrants is harming industries and electoral constituencies whose support Trump wants to retain for next year’s legislative elections.
The new instructions were transmitted to ICE in an email sent last Thursday asking that “all investigations/law enforcement operations be suspended in work centers in the agricultural sector (including aquaculture and meat packing plants), restaurants and hotels.”
These new guidelines come in turn after more than a week of intense protests in Los Angeles against this immigration policy and that Trump himself admitted that the raids seem to be affecting the agricultural sector, which in states like California, where beatings have intensified, depend almost exclusively on immigrant labor.
Since his return to the White House in January, Trump has implemented an aggressive policy of hard hand against immigration and as a sample of his Cabinet officials recently held a meeting with the ICE leadership to order them to carry out 3,000 arrests a day, a mandate that seems to be behind the intensification of the raids.
International
Trump says he knew “everything” about the attack on Iran and assures that the dialogue remains open

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Washington “known everything” about the Israeli attack on Iran and that the dialogue on Tehran’s nuclear program “is not dead.”
“We knew everything and I tried to avoid Iran all this humiliation and death. I tried hard to avoid it because I would have loved to see an agreement,” Trump said in an interview with Reuters.
The US president insisted on what he wrote today about the attack on social networks, where he said he gave an ultimatum of 60 days to Tehran to reach an agreement.
“We knew practically everything. We knew enough to give Iran 60 days to reach an agreement and today it is already 61 days,” he explained in the interview, in which he said he did not know what the current situation of the Iranian nuclear program is after the attack launched by Israel, which also ended the lives of key military leaders of the Persian country.
Regarding the dialogue between the US and Iran about the nuclear program of the ayatollahs, Trump assured that “he is not dead”, that “an agreement is still possible” and also recalled that on Sunday a sixth round of dialogue is scheduled in Muscat (Oman) that they consider is now in the air.
“We have a meeting with them on Sunday. Now, I’m not sure if that meeting will take place, but we have a meeting with them on Sunday,” he said.
The United States and Iran have held five rounds of talks on the Iranian nuclear program since April, with Washington demanding that Tehran discard its capabilities both to manufacture an atomic bomb and to enrich uranium, something that the ayatollahs considered unacceptable.
Both Israel and Trump himself had warned of possible preventive attacks on the Persian country due to this refusal by Iran.
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