• Latest

WHO labels new Covid strain as variant of concern named Omicron with possible increased reinfection risk

November 27, 2021

Why Brazil’s Yanomami are being decimated by disease, mining

January 27, 2023
Scans reveal secrets of Egypt’s mummified ‘golden boy,’ buried for 2,300 years

Scans reveal secrets and techniques of Egypt’s mummified ‘golden boy,’ buried for two,300 years

January 27, 2023

A violent dispute is impeding police reform in Atlanta

January 27, 2023

Tech jobs dominate the highest 25 'finest' jobs within the US, Indeed says

January 27, 2023

Chrome can now lock Incognito tabs on Android behind biometric authentication

January 27, 2023

YouTuber's Fish Reveal Credit Card Details During Pokemon Livestream

January 27, 2023
The World’s Farms Are Hooked on Phosphorus. It’s a Problem

The World’s Farms Are Hooked on Phosphorus. It’s a Problem

January 27, 2023

China appears previous Covid as vacationer bookings surge for the Lunar New Year

January 27, 2023

Valentina Trespalacios: Colombia investigates US citizen within the killing of well-known DJ

January 27, 2023
As a girl, I was thrilled by the night sky. Must my son grow up without seeing the Milky Way? | Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett

As a lady, I used to be thrilled by the evening sky. Must my son develop up with out seeing the Milky Way? | Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett

January 27, 2023

Rare orchids may very well be saved by frequent fruits in Florida, analysis finds

January 27, 2023

What Edward Hopper noticed | The Economist

January 26, 2023
  • World
  • Business
  • Science
  • Tech
  • Games
Friday, January 27, 2023
Ad Astra News
  • World
  • Business
  • Science
  • Tech
  • Games
  • World
  • Business
  • Science
  • Tech
  • Games
Ad Astra News
Home Business

WHO labels new Covid strain as variant of concern named Omicron with possible increased reinfection risk

November 27, 2021
in Business


A nurse prepares the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for children for distribution in Montreal, Quebec on November 24, 2021.

ANDREJ IVANOV | AFP | Getty Images

The World Health Organization on Friday assigned the Greek letter Omicron to a newly identified Covid variant in South Africa.

The U.N. health agency recognized the strain, previously referred to as lineage B.1.1.529, as a variant of concern.

Health experts are deeply concerned about the transmissibility of the Omicron variant given that it has an unusual constellation of mutations and a profile that is different from other variants of concern.

“This variant has a large number of mutations, some of which are concerning,” the WHO said in a statement released Friday. “Preliminary evidence suggests an increased risk of reinfection with this variant, as compared to other VOCs.”

It is feared a sharp upswing of Covid cases in South Africa’s Gauteng province — where the heavily mutated strain of the virus was first identified — could mean it has greater potential to escape prior immunity than other variants. The number of Omicron cases “appears to be increasing” in almost all of South Africa’s provinces, the WHO reported.

The organization only labels Covid strains as variants of concern when they’re more transmissible, more virulent or more adept at eluding public health measures including vaccines and therapeutics. Data presented at a briefing Thursday hosted by South Africa’s Department of Health indicates that some of Omicron’s mutations are connected with improved antibody resistance, which could reduce the protection offered by vaccines.

Certain mutations could also make Omicron more contagious, while others haven’t been reported until now, preventing researchers from understanding how they could impact the strain’s behavior, according to a presentation at the briefing.

The designation of a new variant of concern coupled with mounting alarm from health officials sent global markets into a tailspin on Friday. Oil prices and travel and leisure stocks took heavy losses on the news.

To be sure, WHO has said it will take weeks to understand how the variant may impact diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines.

What do we know so far?

South African scientist Tulio de Oliveira said at a media briefing on Thursday that the Omicron variant contains around 50 mutations, but more than 30 of these are in the spike protein, the region of the protein that interacts with human cells prior to cell entry.

What’s more, the receptor binding domain (the part of the virus that first makes contact with our cells) has 10 mutations, far greater than just two for the delta Covid variant, which spread rapidly earlier this year to become the dominant strain worldwide.

This level of mutation means it most likely came from a single patient who could not clear the virus, giving it the chance to genetically evolve. The same hypothesis was proposed for the alpha Covid variant.

Around 100 Omicron variant genomes have been identified in South Africa, mostly in the Gauteng province. The variant has also been detected in Israel, Botswana and Hong Kong.

Many of the mutations identified in the Omicron variant are linked to increased antibody resistance, which may reduce the effectiveness of vaccines and affect how the virus behaves with regard to inoculation, treatments and transmissibility, health officials have said.

Passengers wait at Frankfurt Airport.

Boris Roessler | picture alliance | Getty Images

“There are two approaches to what happens next: wait for more scientific evidence — or act now and row back later if it wasn’t required,” said Sharon Peacock, professor of public health and microbiology at the University of Cambridge.

“I believe that it is better to ‘go hard, go early and go fast’ and apologise if mistaken, than to take an academic view that we need to reach a tipping point in evidence before action is taken. Rapid spread in South Africa could be due to super-spreader events or other factors. But there are sufficient red flags to assume the worst rather than hope for the best — and take a precautionary approach,” Peacock said.

The European Union, the U.K., Israel and Singapore are among the countries to have moved to impose travel restrictions on southern African nations.

The WHO has cautioned countries against hastily imposing travel restrictions, saying countries should instead take a “risk-based scientific approach.”

South Africa’s foreign ministry said on Friday morning that the U.K.’s decision to take precautionary measures “seems to have been rushed as even the WHO is yet to advise on the next steps.”

— CNBC’s Elliot Smith contributed to this report.



Related Posts

China appears previous Covid as vacationer bookings surge for the Lunar New Year

January 27, 2023

Oppenheimer Suggests 2 Stocks to Buy, Including One With 170% Upside Potential

January 26, 2023

FDA advisors suggest utilizing Covid omicron photographs for all doses

January 26, 2023

BuzzFeed inventory rises greater than 120% after firm pronounces plans to make use of ChatGPT

January 26, 2023

Peacock losses to peak this 12 months because it slowly provides subscribers

January 26, 2023

Blackstone Misses Forecast for Running $1 Trillion by End of 2022

January 26, 2023

Toyota CEO and President Akio Toyoda to step down

January 26, 2023

Chevron to Buy Back $75 Billion in Stock After Record Profit

January 26, 2023
Next Post

Pfizer-BioNTech investigating new Covid variant, J&J testing vaccine against it

Ad Astra News

  • Home
  • World
  • Business
  • Science
  • Tech
  • Games

Ad Astra News

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
Go to mobile version