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The new variant of the coronavirus, Omicron, is causing concern around the world. Dozens of countries have restricted air travel to southern African countries where this strain was first detected.
Science is prepared
However, fears of a return to the early days of the pandemic with complete lockdowns are exaggerated. Experts know much more about the virus today than they did then and will be better prepared to combat it.
Variant of Concern
On Nov. 26, the World Health Organization declared Omicron a “variant of concern.” The strain carries about 32 spike protein mutations, which are the parts of the virus that interact with cells. By comparison, the delta variant, which quickly became globally dominant, has only 10 such mutations.
Mutations become stronger through evolutionary selection
Jesse Bloom, an evolutionary biologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, explains in the New York Times why experts are concerned about this new variant. “In principle, mutations can work against each other,” he says. “However, in this case, evolutionary selection is more likely to lead to the spread of a new variant with favorable than [a variant with] unfavorable mutation combinations.” In other words, the newly discovered variant is likely to have become stronger through natural selection.
Increased risk of reinfection
It will take weeks to fully study the new variant, but WHO has already released preliminary data showing Omicron has an “increased risk of reinfection compared to other variants of concern.”
Travel restrictions
Many people fear that this will expand the pandemic and that this will bring new restrictions and bans . Countries such as the United States and members of the European Union have imposed travel restrictions on South Africa and its neighboring countries.
Do our vaccines work against Omicron?
However, a new variant does not necessarily mean a new vaccine is needed. The New York Times reports that dozens of scientific teams are currently working around the clock and around the world to determine whether current vaccines work against Omicron.
What the pharmaceutical industry is saying
Pharmaceutical companies including AstraZeneca, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer and BioNTech have told CNBC that they are in the process of researching the development of the Omicron variant.
A 100-day promise
Pfizer and BioNTech told Reuters that although they expect more data in the following days, they estimate that a new vaccine tailored to Omicron could be ready in about 100 days.
A threat to our immunity
A statement from Moderna, released the same day Omicron was declared a variant of concern by the WHO, said the combination of mutations in the variant “poses a significant potential risk of accelerating the decline of natural and vaccine-induced immunity.”
By early 2022
Paul Burton, chief medical officer of Moderna, was quoted by CNBC as saying that a new vaccine could be ready “by early 2022.” At that point, high-volume production would also begin. The pharmaceutical company has reportedly mobilized “hundreds” of employees to research Omicron.
Booster vaccination
So far, only booster vaccination from one of the approved vaccines has been recommended as a spontaneous strategy against the Omicron variant. Experts cited by The Guardian agree that the impact of Omicron will be felt more acutely in countries with smaller numbers of vaccinated people.
Omicron spread
The United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Japan, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain are among the countries that have reported cases of the Omicron variant so far.
No new restrictions in the U.S.
In response to the omicron variant, nearly all governments have expressed concern, but there are differences in how they do so among different countries. U.S. President Joe Biden, for example, said the new strain is “a cause for concern, not a cause for panic.” He added that no new bans or restrictive measures are needed for now.
Safe is safe?
Other countries are playing it safe. Japan, for example, has banned all foreigners from entering the country. Since the first day a case of the new variant was reported in the country, the Japanese government has taken tough measures against Omicron.
Nationwide restrictions
Prior to the discovery of Omicron, countries such as Austria, Russia, and the Netherlands had already imposed partial lockdowns and other regulations to curb the growing number of Covid 19 cases in their territories.
Winter is coming
The risk of increasing covid-19 cases in winter has already been a concern for Northern Hemisphere nations. Some fear that this winter will be even harsher than the previous one, when places like Spain and Texas were exposed to snowstorms, which rarely happens.
Experience is useful in dealing with omicron
We don’t know much about Omicron yet, and there is still a lot to do, especially if more variants appear. What is true, however, is that the experience gained from two years of dealing with coronavirus is very helpful to the scientific community. The way they are responding to Omicron is evidence of that.
- source: dailydigest.com/picture: unsplash.com
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