‘Oku taupotu ‘i lalo ha fakamatala fakaTonga
Auckland University virologist Dr Natalie Netzler has warned that every time people catch a Covid infection, their risk of developing other having other severe issues rises.
Commenting on the New Zealand Health Ministry’s ‘Unite against COVID-19’ Twitter page this week, Dr Netzler said that if people were re-infected, their chances of contracting diabetes almost doubled.
“Your chances of getting mental health issues like anxiety and depression goes up double, and there are even more risks, higher risks, for things like blood clots, or breathlessness, or chronic fatigue: your risks of those go up three times with reinfection compared to that first infection” she said.
“So it’s really important that we do everything we can to try and prevent ourselves getting sick, not just once, but many times with COVID.”
Her comments come as the World Health Organisation’s Technical Advisory Group warned that the BQ.1 version of Covid-19 was likely to present a higher reinfection risk.
The advisory group said that based on currently available knowledge, the level of protection afforded by vaccines against infection may be reduced.
However, it said there was no sign that it would have a major effect on protection against severe disease.
BQ.1 and sub-variants have been detected in 65 countries, including New Zealand.
The WHO said BQ.1 and its sub-variants had shown a significant growth advantage over other circulating Omicron versions in Europe and the United States and warranted close monitoring.
It was likely to present a higher reinfection risk, but there was no data to suggest an increase in disease severity.
Overall, the level of reinfection had risen as a proportion of all infections had risen.
The level of immunity from the first wave of Omicron had fallen and it was likely that the number of reinfections would rise further.
As Kaniva News reported this week, a new subvariant of BQ.1 has been detected in West Auckland, Rotorua and Porirua.
There is also a case of XBB, a recombinant variant that is made up of genetic material from two other subvariants.
However, the new Covid variants did not hold any greater threat to the public than the dominant Omicron strain, according to research by the United Nation’s chief health body.
The WHO’s Technical Advisory Group said while there had been a broad increase in the detection of XBB in some regions, it had not been consistently associated with an increase in new infections.
There was some evidence of clinical severity and reinfection risk from Singapore and India. Current data did not suggest a substantial difference in disease severity for XBB infections. However, there was early evidence pointing to a higher reinfection risk, as compared to other circulating versions of Omicron.
Most cases of reinfection occurred among people who had become infected before the Omicron variant appeared.
The advisory group said that based on the available evidence, the two variants were not sufficiently different from other versions of Omicron to be labelled as being of concern or given a new label.
Members of the pubic have been urged to ensure that they have been vaccinated and kept their booster shots up to date.
FAKAMATALA FAKATONGA
Kuo fakatokanga ha taukei fakatotolo ki he vailasi mo e ngaahi mahaki ‘oku ne fkatupu, ko e taimi kotoa pē ‘oku ma’u ai ‘e he kakai ‘a e Kōviti, ‘e ala ke toe hoko ha isiū fakatu’utāmaki kehe ai. Na’e pehē ‘e ha lau ia ‘a Dr Netzler ki he Potungāue Mo’ui ‘a Nu’usila ‘i he peesi Twitter ‘i heb uike ni, ko e Tu’u Fakataha ‘o Fakafepaki’i e Kōviti – 19, kapau ‘e toe pihia ha kakai, ‘e meimei ke liunga ua ‘a e faingamālie ke ma’u kinautolu ‘e he suka. Na’a ne pehē ‘e ‘alu ke liunga ua ‘a ho faingamālie ke ma’u ‘a e palopalema faka’atamai hangē ko e ta’ota’omia mo e puputu’u. pea ‘e toe lahi ange ‘a e faingata’a ki he ngaahi me’a hangē ko e mapuni ‘a e halanga toto, pe nounou ‘a e mānava, pe mahaki’ia ‘a e halanga mānava, ‘a ia ‘e ‘alu e tu’unga fakatu’utāmaki ia ko ia ke liunga tolu ‘i hono fakatatau ki he ‘uluaki puke. “Ko ia ai, ‘oku matu’aki mahu’inga ‘aupito ke tau fajaalaala ke malu’i kitautolu mei he puke, ‘o ‘ikai tu’o taha pē ka ko e touotu puke ‘i he Kōviti – 19.”Oku ha’u fakataha ‘ene lau mo e fakatokanga ‘a e Kulupu Tokoni Fakatekinikale ko e World Health Organisation’s ki he kalasi ko ia ‘o e Kōviti ko e BQ.1 ‘oku hangē ka hoko ia ke lahi ange ‘a e toe puke ‘i ai. Na’e pehē ‘e he kulupu tokoni, na’e makatu’unga ‘i ha ‘ilo kuo toki ma’u ni, ko e tu’unga ko ē ‘o e ivi malu’i ‘oku ma’u ‘e he huhu malu’i e ala vaivai ange. Kae kehe, ‘oku pehē ‘oku te’eki ke ‘i ai ha faka’ilonga ‘e hoko ai ha uesia lahi fēfē ki hono fakafepaki’i ‘o ha puke lahi.Kuo ‘ilo’i ‘a e BQ.1 mo hono ngahi kalasi ‘i he fonua ‘e 65 kau ai ‘a Nu’usila. Na’e pehē ‘e he Kautaha mo’ui ‘a Māmani [WHO] ko e BQ.1 mo hono kalasi kehekehe kuo hā mai ‘ene tupu mālohi ‘o laka ange ‘ene mafola ‘i he Omicron ‘i ‘Iulope mo ‘Amelika pea ‘oku fakapatonu atu ai e tu’utu’uni ke fai hano tokanga’i lelei. ‘Oku hange ka hoko heni ha toe mafola lahi ange ka ‘oku te’eki ke ‘i ai ha ma’ungavfakamatala ke pehē ‘e ‘alu ki ‘olunga ‘a e tu’unga fakatu’utāmaki ‘o e mahaki ni. Ko e fakalukufua, ko e lēvolo ko ē ‘o e toe puke kuo ‘alu ki ‘olunga ko ha fakafuofua lelei ia ki he ‘alu ki ‘olunga ‘a e toe puke. Ko e tu’unga ko ia ‘o e ivi malu’i ‘i he ‘uluaki ta’au ‘a e Omicron kuo holo ki lalo pea hangē ai ka ‘alu ki ‘olunga ‘a e toko lahi ‘o e kakai ‘e toe puke. Hangē ko ia na’e lipooti atu ‘e he Kaniva News ‘i he uike ni, kuo ‘ilo ha kalasi fo’ou ‘o e BQ.1 ‘i he Fakahihifo ‘o ‘Aokalani, Lotolua mo Polilua. ‘Oku toe ‘i ai foki mo e keisi ‘i he XBB, ko ha toe kalasi ia kuo tupu mai mei ongo kalasi kehe.Kae kehe, kuo ‘ikai toe tu’u ‘i ha tu’unga fakatu’utāmaki ki he kakai hangē ko e mālohi ‘o e Omicron, fakatatau ki he fakatotolo ‘a e United Nation’s Chief Health Body.Na’e pehē ‘e he Kulupu Tokoni Fakatekinikale ‘a e Potungāue Mo’ui ‘a Māmani, lolotonga ko ia ‘o hono fakatokanga’i ‘a e tupulaki ‘a e XBB ‘i he ngaahi vahe fonua ‘e ni’ihi, ka kuo ‘ikai fu’u fekau’aki ia mo e kau ouke fo’ou. Kuo ‘i ai ha fakamo’oni ki ha tu’unga fakatu’utāmaki kuo ‘i ai ‘a e mafola ‘a e mahaki ‘i Singapoa mo ‘Initia. Na’e ‘ikai fakapapau’i mei he fakamatala ha pehē ‘oku ‘i ai ha fu’u faikehekehe ‘i he tu’unga ‘oku ‘i ai ‘a e kau puke ‘i he XBB. Kae kehe, kuo ‘i nai ha fakamo’oni vave ia ‘oku tuhu ki ha mafola lahi ange, ‘o fakatatau ki he mafola ‘a e kalasi kehekehe ‘o e Omicron.Ko e lahi ‘o e ngaahi keisi ‘o e toe puke ‘oku hoko ia he kakai na’e puke kimu’a’i he ‘asi hake ko ia ‘a e kalasi Omicron.Na’e pehē ‘e he kulupu tokoni, ‘oku makatu’unga ‘i he ngaahi fakamo’oni ‘oku ala ma’u, ko e ongo kalasi kehekehe ko ‘eni ‘oku ‘ikai ke na fu’u kehekehe mei he kalasi kehe ko ē ‘o e Omicron, ke fakahingoa ke hangē ‘oku fai ha hoha’a pe fai ki ai hano fakahingoa fo’ou.’oku kolea ai pē ki he kakai ke fakapapau’i ‘oku nau huhu malu’i pea fakahoko taimi totonu mo honau huhu booster.
