New omicron variant: what do we know so far?
1:36
(CNN Spanish) -
Last week the world learned of the existence of omicron, a new variant of the coronavirus that was detected for the first time in South Africa.
Its appearance raised fears about the consequences it could cause and several countries applied restrictions for people from or who have transited through countries in southern Africa.
What can happen to omicron?
Dr. Elmer Huerta explains it in this episode.
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Hello, I am Dr. Elmer Huerta and this is your dose of information about the new coronavirus, information that we hope will be useful to take care of your health and that of your family.
Today we will see what is known, and what is not, about the new variant of the new coronavirus, omicron.
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South Africa first identifies omicron variant
Amid a resurgence of cases in Europe and the rest of the planet, and in nervous wait about what could happen with the pandemic, South African Health Minister Joe Phaahla called an emergency press conference the afternoon. Wednesday, November 25.
In it, he broke the news.
Having documented a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases in the Gauteng region, in the northeast of the country, the South African genomic surveillance system detected - in a sample taken in the neighboring country of Botswana on November 9 - the presence of a new variant of the new coronavirus, which was called B.1.1.529.
The variant, it was clarified, is not a direct descendant of the delta, but comes from another evolutionary line of the new coronavirus.
In contrast to its response in previous similar situations, the reaction of the World Health Organization has been, this time, extraordinarily quick.
Less than 48 hours after the announcement of the South African Minister of Health, the Technical Advisory Group on the Evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 Virus - an independent group of experts that periodically monitors the evolution of the new coronavirus, evaluating whether the mutations it presents can alter the behavior of the virus - met in the city of Geneva on November 26 to study the evidence provided by South African scientists.
A variant of concern, according to the WHO
According to the Technical Group's assessment, "the number of covid-19 cases caused by the new variant appears to be increasing in almost every province in South Africa, and the variant has a large number of mutations, some of which are of concern. and, compared to other variants of concern, preliminary evidence suggests an increased risk of reinfections. "
The meeting concluded by naming the new variant after the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet, omicron, and directly designating it as a variant of concern.
This fact draws our attention, since what is sought when finding a new variant is to know if, due to having acquired new mutations, the new virus is associated with one or more of the following characteristics:
increased transmissibility,
increased virulence leading to a change in the clinical presentation of the disease,
or a decrease in neutralization by vaccines or monoclonal antibody treatment.
Generally, when a new variant is discovered, the WHO initially classifies it as a variant of interest.
There they begin the studies to demonstrate its transmissibility, virulence and response to vaccines;
being cataloged only after it is shown that it has any of these characteristics as a variant of concern.
On this occasion, less than 48 hours after it was announced, the WHO has designated the new variant as one of concern.
On the other hand, in public health it is always important to know the context in which diseases occur.
The epicenter of the omicron variant
Gauteng, considered the epicenter of the covid-19 outbreak caused by the omicron variant, is one of the nine regions of South Africa, having the particularity that it represents only 1.5% of the country's surface, but that it is home to 25% of the population (approximately 15 million people).
The capital, Pretoria, and the most populous city, Johannesburg, are located there.
South Africa's biggest problem related to covid-19 is that, although it was one of the first African countries to receive vaccines from AstraZeneca, its vaccination program was interrupted on February 8 when the vaccine was found to be practically ineffective. against the beta variant, the first discovered in that country.
Since then, despite the restart of the program with the Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer vaccines, the uptake of vaccination by the population has been very slow.
It is known that, at the time of writing this episode, only 23.8% of the population have been fully vaccinated, with South Africa not having a booster dose program so far.
The percentage of positivity of PCR tests in that geographic area, very densely populated and with very low vaccination coverage, went from 1% to more than 30% in just three weeks.
The increase, in the words of the Minister of Health, represents an "exponential increase" in cases of the infection.
How does omicron compare to the original strain?
Compared to the original Wuhan variant, omicron has more than 30 mutations.
10 of them in the area of the spike, the part that the virus uses to enter cells, and against which the neutralizing antibodies formed in response to the vaccine or natural infection are directed.
For comparison, the delta variant has 10 mutations, three of which are on the spike.
Omicron mutations have already been found in alpha, delta, and lambda.
The identification of omicron has raised the alert of public health authorities around the planet.
Genomic surveillance identified cases in Belgium, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Germany, Italy, and Israel.
Experts do not rule out that the restrictions on flights from African countries have been ordered too late, and that omicron is already in many countries around the world.
For many, the appearance of this variant is a sign of inequity in the distribution of vaccines.
Among the eight countries that have been subject to travel restrictions by the United States, none have vaccinated even a third of their population, and in Malawi, the immunization rate is in the single digits.
Clearly, a new approach is needed in the distribution of vaccines in economically less favored countries.
As mentioned in previous episodes, this was the problem that was feared could happen, the formation of new variants due to the lack of vaccination in low-income countries.
What should you do about this news?
We think that the discovery of omicron should not arouse panic in the population.
Rather, put her on alert for news from trusted media, such as CNN.
Not all mutations that viruses acquire are to make them more virulent and can cause more serious disease.
And for those who think that this new variant will return us to the beginning of the pandemic, we say no.
We are in a different moment.
Much of the population in Latin America and the United States is immunized with vaccines that have been shown to protect against serious illness and death.
We also have medications such as oral antivirals that may be available very soon.
On the other hand, the vaccine manufacturers Pfizer and Moderna announced that they are working on improved versions of their vaccine, more adapted to the new variant.
Health recommendations to take into account
The most important thing is that, almost two years after the start of the pandemic, we know very well that the contagion of the virus is predominantly through aerosols, microscopic droplets of secretions that are released from the respiratory tract when speaking, shouting or singing .
That is why, even though we are already tired of the situation, it is necessary to understand that we are still going through a pandemic with an uncertain future, and that the only thing we can control is our attitude towards prevention.
Until more data is available on the distribution and behavior of the new variant, it is very important to be vaccinated, completing the two doses and receiving the booster, also maintaining the basic prevention measures:
use of high-efficiency masks,
avoid meetings in closed places with unvaccinated people who do not live in the same household,
ventilate closed environments
and wash your hands.
Do you have questions about covid-19?
Send me your questions on Twitter, we will try to answer them in our next episodes.
You can find me at @Drhuerta.
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Thank you for your time.
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