Until this weekend, cases of infected in omicron have been identified in 20 countries.
At the moment there is only uncertainty regarding the new variant of concern called omicron.
Although the new variant appears to be highly contagious, a spokesman for the World Health Organization (WHO), Christian Lindmeier, said on Friday that he had not received “No reports of omicron-related deaths.”
As more countries test for the new variant, “we will have more cases, more information and – although I hope not – possibly deaths,” he said.
There are also doubts about the danger and resistance to omicron vaccines that, according to the WHO, is already widespread in the six regions in which the health organization divides its activity.
What is the omicron variant?
This new variant of the coronavirus, first identified in Botswana and South Africa, has raised the concern of scientists and public health officials due to an unusually high number of mutations that have the potential to make the virus more transmissible and less susceptible to existing vaccines.
How many countries have warned of contagions
As of this weekend, cases have been identified in 20 countries, including the United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Canada, the United States, Mexico. Yesterday a case was reported in a Brazilian town on the border with Uruguay.
The WHO considers “high” the probability that omicron will spread throughout the world, although there are many unknowns about its dangerousness and transmissibility.
Africa sounded the alarm
In South Africa, the new variant is already prevalent and health authorities have reported an increase in infections in children, although it is not yet known whether it is related to omicron.
A study from that country indicated that the risk of contracting COVID-19 again is three times higher with omicron than with beta and delta variants.
At a time when Europe is facing a new wave of delta infections, governments are insisting on vaccination.
It would be “a serious mistake to wait,” said Alain Fischer, head of the vaccination strategy in France, on Friday.
Faced with this wave, several countries are accelerating their vaccination campaigns. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson set a deadline at the end of January to administer the booster dose to all adults, increasing the period from six to three months from the second dose.
Booster vaccine against omicron variant
The world is waiting to know if the omicron variant is especially dangerous or resistant to covid-19 vaccines. But this does not call into question the interest of the booster dose, according to the experts.
Will the vaccines be as effective with the omicron variant? It is the big question that everyone asks, but it is still too early to say.
Questions and answers about the third dose of COVID-19 vaccine in Ecuador
In an interview in the Financial Times, Moderna’s chairman, Stéphane Bancel, was rather pessimistic, estimating that there could be a “significant decrease” in its effectiveness.
According to him, the researchers are concerned that 32 of the 50 mutations found in the omicron variant are in the spike protein, the key that allows the virus to enter the body.
Some protection
For his part, the founder of BioNTech, which has developed a vaccine against COVID-19 together with the US giant Pfizer, pointed out that the new variant could cause more infections among inoculated people but that, probably, they would continue to be protected from serious forms of the illness. “Our message is: don’t be afraid, the plan remains the same. Accelerate the administration of the third dose, ”said Ugur Sahin.
For more information, it will be necessary to wait for the results of the laboratory tests, which will come out in two or three weeks.
Although current immunizers are less effective against this new variant, they will still create some protection.
It will not be “an on / off effect,” Yazdan Yazdanpanah, head of the infectious diseases service at Bichat hospital in Paris, said this week.
Don’t forget delta
In the United States, Pfizer submitted an authorization request for a booster dose to adolescents aged 16 to 17 years.
“We do not have to make the wrong enemy, for now it is the delta variant,” insisted Arnaud Fontanet, a member of the French scientific council.
At the moment, nothing indicates that omicron will outperform the delta variant. If this happens, it will take several weeks, or months.
However, some healthcare professionals have doubts as to whether the booster dose is necessary for the entire population.
“The priority is to vaccinate the elderly and those at risk, and then give them the booster. But an additional dose for young people (…) does not seem like a priority for now, ”said Yvon Le Flohic, a general practitioner who closely follows the evolution of the epidemic from the beginning.
When will the new vaccines arrive?
Laboratories Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and Moderna say they have started work on a new version of their vaccine against Ovid, focusing on omicron, in case the current serums were not effective enough.
Pfizer has already created two new versions of its vaccine against the delta and beta variants, which were ultimately not used.
“The laboratories hid behind the fact that their vaccines continued to protect against severe forms of covid, but this contributed to letting the virus circulate,” lamented Bruno Canard, director of research at the CNRS, a coronavirus specialist.
Although Pfizer promises a new immunizer in less than 100 days, its implementation will be much slower and will not take place “before spring”, according to this scientist. “Until then, current vaccines protect against severe forms of the delta variant.” (I)
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