People are on high alert for a new variant of the coronavirus called Omicron, but the Delta mutation is still responsible for most of the current infections worldwide, a senior World Health Organization (WHO) official told the BBC on Monday.
“More than 99% of cases internationally are due to the Delta mutation and more deaths occur in unvaccinated people,” Soumya Swaminathan, chief WHO scientist, told CNBC on Monday. “I think this is our priority as we wait to learn more about the Omicron variant.”
Last week, the WHO described the Omicron variant, originally referred to as B.1.1.529, as a “concern variant”. This means that it could be more contagious, more contagious and possibly avoid vaccines. The strain was first identified by South African scientists.
The Delta, on the other hand, was located for the first time in India.
Health experts are concerned about the transmissibility of the Omicron variant, given the unusual constellation of mutations and the profile that differs from previous variants of concern.
“The mutation profile strongly suggests that it will have an advantage in transmissibility and that it could avoid the immune protection you have received, for example, from a monoclonal antibody and possibly even from some of the antibodies induced by the vaccine.” said the American specialist in infectious diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci on NBC on Sunday.
“So it is not certain that this is going to happen, but there is a strong indication that we really need to be prepared for that,” Fauci added.
Swaminathan said the scientists needed time to conduct experiments and gather data to help answer some of the fundamental questions about the new variant.
“What we would like to know is whether this variant is even more contagious than Delta,” he said, adding that it was important to consider whether “the Omicron variant is capable of evading immune responses either after natural infection or after vaccines “.
He also called on countries where the Omicron variant has been identified to share their data for further study.
It is noted that the Omicron variant has now been identified in many places, such as the United Kingdom, Israel, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Denmark and Australia. Many countries have stepped up travel restrictions from South Africa in an effort to limit the spread of the new variant.
The makers of coronavirus vaccines – Pfizer, BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca – have announced that they are studying the Omicron variant.
Swaminathan noted that for the time being, existing vaccines should be considered to provide some protection, if not complete protection, against Omicron.
“It is really important that everyone out there who is still unvaccinated or who has only received one dose completes their vaccination,” he said.
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Source From: Capital
