According to the World Health Organization, early data indicate that the latest variant of SARS-CoV-2, Omicron, first discovered in South Africa, may be susceptible to people who have been infected or vaccinated earlier. However, the WHO stated that the disease will be less severe than the disease caused by the Delta variant.

“New data from South Africa shows that Omicron has an increased risk of reinfection,” World Health Organization head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters, adding that “there is some evidence that Omicron causes a milder disease than Delta.”

This new variant was discovered in the last week of November, and since then it has now spread to approximately 57 countries. No deaths are related to this mutation, and patients can recover without hospitalization and without oxygen support.

1. Omicron cases have been reported in 57 countries in all WHO regions. It said that while most of the cases currently found in these countries are related to travel, this situation may change as more information becomes available.

2. Michael Ryan, WHO’s director of emergency situations, said that this variant spreads very efficiently and may be more efficient than Delta virus, but this does not mean that this virus is unstoppable.
3. The WHO stated that even if it turns out to be less dangerous, it may still affect more people and overburden the health system because it spreads rapidly.
4. Even if vaccines prove to be less effective for Omicron, as some data indicate, they are still expected to provide significant protection against serious diseases, it said.
5. Regarding the impact of Omicron on vaccines, WHO stated that “more data is needed to assess whether the mutations on Omicron variants may lead to reduced protection against vaccine-derived immunity, as well as data on vaccine effectiveness, including the use of additional Vaccination dose.”
6. In South Africa, the seroprevalence rate is 60% to 80%, and the vaccination coverage rate is 35%. But Omicron has spread rapidly because it poses a threat of reinfection.
7. Regarding the severity of Omicron, WHO stated that even if the severity is the same as the Delta variant or even lower, if more people are infected, the number of hospitalizations is expected to increase, and there will be a time gap between increases. The incidence of cases and the incidence of deaths have increased.
8. The WHO provided data on 212 Omicron confirmed cases confirmed in 18 EU countries as of December 6, stating that these were mild cases. The number of hospitalizations in South Africa between November 18 and December 4 increased by 82%, but it is unclear whether Omicron is the cause.
9. The WHO quoted the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s prediction that if 1% of SARS-Cov-2 infections are caused by Omicron mutations, it will be dominant in Europe by January 1, 2022.

Complete News Source : Hindustan Times