About the appearance of the new variant B.1.1.529 (mutation of Botswana) of SARS-COV-2 – named “Omicron” – and how it changes the data of the coronavirus pandemic spoke Elias Mosialos Professor of Health Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in the main news bulletin of SKAI and Sia Kosioni.
As he explained, there are 50 mutations in this new variant, 32 of which are in the coronary spike protein and these are of interest because vaccines train our body to perceive the viral spike protein. The worrying point in this fact is, as he said, that these 32 are double the relation of the Delta variant that had 16.
Mr. Mosialos said that the second important element is that the position of 681 coronavirus has been changed, which was observed in both the Alpha variant and the Delta, and that this is an indication that this new variant of Botswana is very contagious. However, he stressed that the South African authorities correctly identify each case with the new variant, hospital admissions and hospital outcomes and this allows us to know so far that the symptoms are no different, more severe than the Delta that is good.
He wondered why we see the worrying developments in the South African region in relation to the coronavirus pandemic and pointed out that there is a need for a global vaccine policy and the expansion of vaccine production to other companies.
“Will the vaccine reach Africa and Asia or will we continue to hunt for new variants?”
Asked about the percentage of vaccination coverage in Africa that is 6.5%, while in Greece 65%, ten times more.
At the same time, he mentioned that 80% of the identifications of mutations and variants have been done in laboratories in America and Europe and that now we were lucky that it was done in laboratories in South Africa and it had not managed to expand. “It is possible that there were others who went unnoticed,” he said characteristically.
WHERE: High risk of re-infection
The World Health Organization (WHO) panel of experts meeting today to evaluate the new, mutated strain of the new coronavirus found in South Africa has decided to call it a “variant of concern”.
The variant B.1.1.529 was given the name “Omicron” from the letter of the Greek alphabet.
According to the WHO, the first indications are that this variant carries a higher risk of re-infection, compared to the other “variants of concern”.
Health Minister Joe Faala confirmed that preliminary studies have so far shown that this variant may be more contagious, but called “unjustified” the decision of other countries to impose travel restrictions. In a press conference, the minister stressed that South Africa is acting transparently and that travel bans are contrary to the recommendations of the World Health Organization. He stressed that he would not even think about not sharing information about different strains of the new coronavirus in the future, since this is done for “the good of the world”, as he said.
Faala added that the South African government has no plans to impose compulsory vaccination on citizens because of this variant. He noted that some measures will need to be taken, but the exact restrictions have not yet been decided.
South Africa’s leading epidemiologist, Salim Abdul Karim, said the B.1.1.529 variant had spread to 53 countries within three weeks of its detection. “So it does not really help to close the border. We have to find solutions to this variation together. “And part of that means not overreacting,” he told Reuters, calling it a “panicked reaction” to Britain’s decision to ban travel from South Africa.
Omicron cases appear to be on the rise in almost all South African provinces.
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