Many world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, reacted quickly to the news by
notification a series of travel restrictions for African countries, although variations have been
detect in places like Australia, Hong Kong and Israel. While Omicron has yet to be found in the United States, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases,
speak he “wouldn’t be surprised” if it got in.
At best, travel restrictions can help slow the spread of the variant and save us time. At worst, they can hinder global communication, transparency and data sharing while discouraging countries from tracking new variations. But while we wait to learn more about this virus variant, we have the resources in place to protect ourselves should Omicron spread to the United States. We should all do our part, including vaccination and Covid-19 testing when recommended, while the medical community studies the variant and assesses whether our vaccine will protect against it. it or not.
The Omicron variant was first detected in a sample collected on 9 November and
report to WHO on 24 November. All Covid-19 samples collected in Gauteng province of South Africa between 12 and 20 November were
identify is the Omicron variant, indicating that it has become the dominant strain in that region. Variation has been detected in several other countries and continents, but due to the wide variation in viral sequencing efforts, undetected Omicron outbreaks may have existed in other regions. other location.
Omicron has a lot of mutations
The viral genome contains about
50 mutants, with about 30 of them found in mutant proteins – structures that viruses use to enter the cells they attack. (This spike protein is also the basis of most mRNA vaccines, providing instructions for our immune system to recognize and attack this part of the virus.)
The World Health Organization has
report that “preliminary evidence suggests an increased risk of reinfection with one variant compared with another (variant of concern).” Preparing for the worst, vaccine makers Pfizer and BioNTech have announced that they can
make new Omicron-specific vaccine for 100 days if required, subject to regulatory approval.
The severity and infectivity are not well understood
Mutations can affect both the severity (virulence) and infectivity (transmissibility) of viruses, potentially making them more or less dangerous to the general public. Early observations in South Africa
suggestions Omicron can spread more easily than Delta, although such early estimates are notoriously unreliable.
South African doctor Angelique Coetzee has
report which she has so far observed about two dozen Omicron patients, mostly young men, about half of whom are unvaccinated, with relatively milder symptoms such as severe fatigue. While potentially encouraging, this is a small sample of all cases and South Africa has a population
skewers much
younger than the United States and many
other countries, which provides fewer opportunities to evaluate the effects of Omicron in older, higher-risk individuals.
Overall, there hasn’t been enough time to determine any understanding of Omicron’s lethality. To better understand how Omicron works would take months of observing other objects.
There are already systems in place at national and international levels to help identify and characterize new variants. In the United States, the SARS-CoV-2 Interdisciplinary Group (SIG), together with
found by several US health and defense agencies, with a focus on monitoring emerging variants and their potential impact on key SARS-CoV-2 countermeasures, including vaccines. Requests, treatments and diagnosis.
Similarly, the World Health Organization also
help track SARS-CoV-2 variants internationally and work with a variety of partners, national organizations and expert networks in monitoring and evaluating variants that may pose an increased risk for global public health.
But for now, the limited amount we know about Omicron still leaves a lot of questions. Will it disappear like Mu or take over like Delta?
While we wait for an answer, we need to remain vigilant. For all of us, this means getting vaccinated and, if eligible, booster shots, wearing masks and paying attention to the activities we participate in. If we are sick or in contact with someone who is sick, it is very important to get tested and isolate if we test positive.
Vaccinations are now more important than ever. Even if Omicron continues to spread, Delta will be the dominant strain of the virus that causes Covid-19 entering winter,
follow to Fauci. Vaccination protects against Delta and may also protect against Omicron.
At the public health level, we must continue to use all strategies to contain the virus: vaccination, testing, sequencing, surveillance, contact tracing, and provision of services. support for those in need of isolation or quarantine. Medically, we must continue to develop newer generations of vaccines that can be easily scaled up to deal with any variant-specific threat.
The Omicron variant is another reminder of the risk we all face when vaccinations are low around the world. Allowing the virus to spread unchecked would give it more opportunities to mutate without a mass protective vaccine being offered at the community level. Slow vaccination rates anywhere are a threat everywhere.
We can’t afford to face another enemy like Delta. The number is too big – emotionally, physically, economically and financially.
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