It takes more than vaccination to stop the omicron variant of the coronavirus

This Wednesday the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) indicated that vaccination alone is not enough to stop the impact of the omicron variant, but rather that “strong” measures must be adopted to reduce its transmission and alleviate health public.

It is necessary to “protect the most vulnerable population” in the coming months and there is not enough time to achieve it with current vaccines, warns this institution in a statement.

Existing vaccines have shown a “high” effectiveness against delta and therefore their administration should be continued both against the circulation of this variant and to “reduce” the impact of omicron.

So far, the vaccine has saved almost half a million people, continues the ECDC, and efforts must be intensified to move towards the full regimen for the entire population, as well as to administer the booster dose “as soon as possible.”

But it must also be taken into account that, by itself, it will not be enough against the omicron, in view of the population gaps not yet vaccinated.

ECDC calls on countries to act quickly and give a “response” before the upcoming holidays.

Among these measures to be applied, the organization cites the “appropriate” use of protective masks, the practice of teleworking, avoiding crowds in public transport, staying home in case of illness and maintaining known hygiene measures, as well as adequate ventilation.

Repeal these measures will lead to the countries that act in this way a “strong increase” in cases, warns the statement.

The ECDC also recommends prioritizing contact tracing, in case of contagion, and recalls the usefulness of this tool and the correct sequencing of cases, as well as the specific verification of each variant if contagion occurs. (I)