Bulgarian virologists keep an eye  both on Covid-19 and Monkeypox

Cases of COVID-19 are on the rise in the United Kingdom and Greece. The World Health Organization (WHO) warns against ignoring the virus because there are still lethal alternatives.

How is coronavirus spreading in Bulgaria?

Prof. Radostina Alexandrova, a BAS virologist, told reproters that the number of cases is rising. "The epidemic has not vanished. The virus is still spreading and evolving. This isn't to say that we are to expect something dramatic. We are in the midst of a pandemic's acute phase, and we must learn to coexist peacefully with this virus. "

“Omicron is currently the sole alternative for serious consideration. Delta has been dethroned already. In around six months, a new variant will emerge” the Professor forecast. 

She noted that there has been a significant decline in testing in all nations, making it impossible to keep track of how the coronavirus genome evolves.

"There are two possible outcomes. The next possibilities are the most appealing since they provide a more favorable clinical picture and eliminate the need to develop new vaccines. The most unfavorable is having a clinical picture that is more serious. It will need new vaccines and vaccination campaigns. " Meanwhile, health officials are keeping an eye on the monkeypox outbreak.

"The World Health Organization (WHO) must decide on a new name for the virus and the sickness it causes. It must also decide whether or not to declare a state of international concern in order to mobilize resources and efforts. Many other animals, primarily rats, are affected by monkeypox. Since 1970, there have been extremely few instances outside of endemic areas in Africa. It's worth noting that there were 2103 instances reported from January to June, the majority of which were outside of endemic areas, with 98 percent of them occurring in May.” Prof. Alexandrova stated, "It is expected that the number of instances is substantially larger."

She highlighted that males have sex with men in the majority of cases, but that the virus simply fell into this population. Her statements made it plain that the virus is spread by close touch, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

"Monkeypox demands long-term close contact; we can't get it from someone on the bus or in the store," the virologist explained.