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Wednesday, March 27, 2024
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WHO designates new COVID-19 mutant as ‘variant of concern’: What do we know about the Omicron strain?

The variant has, so far, been detected in South Africa, Botswana, Israel, Hong Kong, Belgium and the Netherlands.

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A new coronavirus variant, known as B.1.1.529 and dubbed ‘Omicron,’ originally discovered in South Africa, has been classified as a ‘variant of concern’ by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The variant, currently believed to be more transmissible than previous variants including the Delta strain, has prompted a fresh slew of travel restrictions by numerous countries as concerns over it spreading beyond southern Africa emerge.

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The Omicron strain was first reported to WHO from South Africa on 24 November, said the international medical body. “The variant has a large number of mutations, some of which are concerning. Preliminary evidence suggests an increased risk of reinfection with this variant, as compared to other ‘variants of concern,’ read the WHO’s statement released on Friday.

The variant has, so far, been detected in South Africa, Botswana, Israel, Hong Kong, Belgium and the Netherlands. A sample of the strain was, reportedly, first collected in South Africa but appears to have now spread to almost every province in the country, the WHO noted. South Africa, it is worth noting, has vaccinated under 36 per cent of its adult population and vaccination rates have fallen in recent days, reported the country’s health department.

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The first confirmed case in Hong Kong was that of a South African traveller and officials have now, reportedly, identified a second case at the same hotel designated as a quarantine hotel. Other hotel residents have now been ordered to undergo mandatory COVID-19 testing. The Belgian government announced that its first confirmed case was in an unvaccinated individual who had travelled from Egypt to Belgium.

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More transmissible, more mutations than Delta

There’s a great deal we still don’t know about the variant but scientists have already raised concerns over the fact that its genetic profile deviates markedly from other strains in circulation.

According to Tulio de Oliveira, director of the Center for Epidemic Response and Innovation in South Africa, the variant has over 30 mutations in its spike protein, the part of the virus that binds to human cells.

It’s these mutations that have scientists worried that it could not only be more transmissible but also better evade immune responses, rendering vaccines less effective. However, experts have stated that it is unlikely that the current vaccines being delivered will be completely ineffective against Omicron.

“The one good news, if there’s any good news, is that this variant, the B.1.1.529, can be detected by one particular PCR assay,” said de Oliveira at a news conference, raising optimism that diagnostic labs can work swiftly to identify the variant without the need for genome sequencing.

What is the response? 

Already numerous countries have announced travel restrictions to contain the spread of the new variant. The US has restricted travel to South Africa and seven other nations as a precautionary measure. The European Union has all issued temporary restrictions on travel into the EU from South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. Canada’s health minister said the country will be “banning the entry of foreign nationals…that have travelled through southern Africa in the last 14 days.” Israel also announced widespread travel restrictions covering most of the African continent.

Meanwhile, some vaccine makers have also announced they would be studying how their vaccines work against the new variant. Moderna said the variant had mutations “seen in the Delta variant that are believed to increase transmissibility and mutations seen in the Beta and Delta variants that are believed to promote immune escape.” The pharma major also suggested that delivering a larger booster dose may prove to be one solution against the Omicron variant, adding that it was assessing two multivalent booster vaccines’ efficacy against the strain as well.

AstraZeneca also revealed it was currently seeking to better understand Omicron’s specific genetic profile and its impact on the AstraZeneca vaccine. BioNTech, the German company that partnered with Pfizer to develop its COVID-19 vaccine, also said it was evaluating the strain’s impact on the Pfizer vaccine.

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