The American Heritage Dictionary “plagues”

1. A highly infectious, usually fatal, epidemic disease; a pestilence.
2. A virulent, infectious disease that is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis (syn. Pasteurella pestis) and is transmitted primarily by the bite of fleas from an infected rodent, especially a rat. In humans it occurs in bubonic form, marked by lymph node enlargement, and in pneumonic form, marked by infection of the lungs, and can progress to septicemia.
3. A widespread affliction or calamity seen as divine retribution.

Important Takeaways:

• Scientists demand Britons wear face masks as new Covid variant spreads
• The variant could “potentially cause a big wave”, Brits have been warned, as a professor said the UK is “worryingly” ill-prepared for such an event.
• Dr Trisha Greenhalgh, an internationally-renowned expert in primary care, based at the University of Oxford, tweeted: “It looks like it’s once again time to MASK UP”.
• Meanwhile, Professor Christina Pagel, a mathematician from University College London who sits on Independent SAGE, said: “To everyone else — very very early days but this coronavirus variant (now in 2 countries) has a LOT of new mutations that makes it different to previous Omicron strains.”
• She added this variant was “potentially more able to cause a big wave”.
• The strain was originally highlighted by online Covid variant tracker Ryan Hisner, who tweeted “this is the real deal”.
• The new variant is not the same as EG.5.1, which was recently designated by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a “variant of interest” after it was spotted in 51 countries.
• It has been dubbed “BA.X” for now until it is clear where the variant has come from, said Canadian evolutionary biologist T. Ryan Gregory.

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