Enlarge image
Social distancing in a hospital near Johannesburg
Photo: Shiraaz Mohamed / AP
The corona variant Omikron, classified as "worrying", has now been detected in 24 countries.
New figures from South Africa suggest that the mutation could regionally displace the predominant delta variant.
In 74 percent of the corona samples examined in November, Omikron was found, said the health authority NICD, according to the Guardian.
The mutation is developing into the predominant strain of the virus, at least in South Africa.
In addition, the country reports a higher number of new infections, although the exact connection is still unclear.
In the past two weeks, the increase has been "exponential," said NICD expert Michelle Groome.
Within a week, the number of new infections detected rose from 1,300 to more than 8,500 per day.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), no deaths related to the Omicron variant have been reported so far.
The most important thing now is to increase the global vaccination rate.
The "real enemy" is Delta
In France, government health advisor Jean-Francois Delfraissy warned that Omikron could be the dominant variant of the coronavirus by the end of January.
A rapid increase in the number of cases can be expected.
Like most experts, he also emphasized that the “real enemy” is currently still the delta variant.
Scientists around the world are working flat out to research the new variant and provide initial risk assessments.
The WHO announced that data on the risk of infection could be available "within a few days."
The effectiveness of the existing vaccines against Omnikron is also being investigated.
Biontech boss Uğur Şahin expects that the existing Covid-19 vaccine from the Mainz manufacturer will also offer protection against serious diseases in the new variant.
"We think it is likely that those who have been vaccinated will have significant protection against serious illnesses caused by Omikron," said Şahin.
So far there is no evidence that Omikron infections were more severe.
However, it is not yet known whether the virus is more infectious and spreads faster than the current Delta variant.
"The only thing that worries me at the moment is that there are people who haven't even been vaccinated," added Sahin.
US immunologist Anthony Fauci, chief advisor to US President Joe Biden, recommended a booster for adults with full vaccination protection.
UN Secretary General criticizes travel bans
Since the beginning of the pandemic, scientists have pointed out that new virus variants could continue to develop as long as large parts of the world's population are not vaccinated.
There is a "toxic mixture" of insufficient vaccination rates and too few tests, said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The greatest challenge, however, remains the globally prevailing delta variant.
Omikron was first identified by doctors in South Africa.
It is still unclear where it originated.
In Europe, the variant has apparently been spreading since mid-November, as repeated examinations of samples showed.
These were taken in the Netherlands on November 19 and 23 - before the researchers in South Africa sounded the alarm.
The travel restrictions affecting southern Africa are therefore increasingly causing criticism.
Individual countries should not be isolated by flight bans, that is unacceptable, said UN Secretary General António Guterres.
The measures are not only ineffective, but also unjust.
Instead, rich countries should do more to ensure that vaccines are distributed more fairly.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 56 countries have imposed travel restrictions on southern Africa to slow the spread of omicrons.
The South African epidemiologist Salim Abdool Karim called the travel restrictions against his country outrageous.
"The message to a country like South Africa and any other country is essentially that if you have good surveillance and discover a new variant early on, then don't tell anyone because if you do, they will punish you, they will isolate you." , Karim told Deutsche Welle (DW).
South Africa has been commended for bringing Omicron to the attention of the global scientific community and WHO so quickly.
Now the travel restrictions threaten to paralyze the country's important tourism sector.
fww / rtr