BQ.1 Has Chance of Becoming Dominant Variant 新興變異株竄起 BQ.1恐成下波主流變異株

The domestic epidemic situation is worsening, with both local and imported cases rising. Experts say new variants are spreading. The percentage of cases caused by the BA.5 variant is decreasing, and BQ.1 could become the next wave's dominant strain.

Many people rushed to get COVID-19 vaccines in recent days over fears that Taiwanese people traveling during the Lunar New Year and Taiwanese businesspersons in China returning home for the holiday would cause the domestic epidemic situation to worsen. Some even took a day off from work to get vaccinated. All the slots at a vaccination station in Taipei's Chengde Market were fully booked.

Ms. Shi, Vaccine Recipient: “The epidemic situation has worsened recently, and there are new variants. I thought I should get my fourth dose to be safe.”

Mr. Chen, Vaccine Recipient: “I prefer foreign vaccines. There are next-gen ones available, so I'll get that.”

The CECC previously forecasted that the peak of the third Omicron wave would take place after the Lunar New Year with a daily caseload of around 40,000. However, the number of daily cases rose by 42 percent last week, so the CECC gave a new forecast of over 40,000 cases a day during the peak period and repeat infections accounting for 5 percent of all cases. Experts say new variants are spreading. The percentage of cases caused by the BA.5 variant is decreasing. From the experience in the U.S. and Europe, BQ.1 could become the next wave's dominant strain. Multiple variants may spread at the same time.

Huang Li-min, Honorary Chair, Infectious Diseases Society: “It's possible that two new variants could spread through communities at the same time. This will cause the number of people infected with multiple variants to increase, and the severity of their cases may increase.”

Experts say the risk of community spread will increase during the upcoming holiday. Next-gen vaccines are recommended for those with elderly people or people in high-risk groups in their households, those who haven't yet gotten a booster, those who recovered from infection more than three months ago, and those expecting friends and family from overseas for the holiday.

第3波疫情快速升溫。4日新增3萬3330例本土病例，中重症33例，死亡則有17例，值得注意的是，境外移入有541例，創下疫情以來，自2020年起單日新高紀錄。本土和境外確診數都上升，不少民眾擔心染疫，特地請假來打疫苗，台北成德市場疫苗接種站，上午250個名額都已被預約光光。

接種疫苗民眾石小姐說：「最近疫情又升溫嘛，然後又有新的變種病毒，那我想我還是先來把第4劑打完，會比較安心。」

接種疫苗民眾陳先生也表示：「還是打一下外國的疫苗好了，對啊，尤其有次世代，就打次世代啊。」

指揮中心預估，這波疫情最高峰可能落在農曆春節後，單日確診可能破4萬例，而且重複感染率約5%，還在增加中；專家則是警告，新興變異株竄起，本土BA.5變異株占比下降，從歐美經驗來看，BQ.1恐怕成為下一波國內主流變異株，甚至不排除社區有多重病毒流行。

台灣感染症醫學會名譽理事長黃立民指出：「說不定是同時在台灣的社區裡面，有2種新的變種病毒在那邊傳來傳去。那這個會使得第1個，雙重感染的人會變多，然後再來呢，疾病可能說不定會變得比較嚴重。」

專家提醒，農曆春節即將到來，預期社區傳播風險增加，建議家中有長者或高風險族群、尚未接種追加劑者、曾感染確診已康復滿3個月者，以及春節前有親友從國外返台者，應盡快接種次世代疫苗，以增加保護力。