The World Health Organization (WHO) has named the new variant B.1.1.529 'Omicron', identified for the first time in South Africa, and has warned that it could carry a "higher risk of reinfection", according to the first evidence preliminary scientific studies.
At the meeting held this Friday, the WHO's Technical Advisory Group on the Evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 Virus has described this variant as "of concern", since "it presents a large number of mutations, some of which are worrying ".
The WHO defines a variant "of concern" when it has been shown to be associated with one or more of the following changes: increased transmissibility or detrimental change in the epidemiology of COVID-19; increased virulence or change in the clinical presentation of the disease; o decreased effectiveness of public health and social measures or of available diagnostic tests, vaccines and treatments.
"Preliminary evidence suggests an increased risk of reinfection with this variant, compared to others that are also of concern," indicate the WHO experts.
According to the United Nations international health agency report, this variant was first reported to WHO from South Africa on November 24, while the first confirmed infection with this variant on record comes from a collected sample. On the 9th of november.
"In recent weeks, infections have increased considerably, coinciding with the detection of variant B.1.1.529. The number of cases of this variant appears to be increasing in almost all the provinces of South Africa," explains the WHO.
According to the first findings in the laboratory, this variant does not have one of the three target genes (which is called abandonment of the S gene or failure of the target of the S gene) and, therefore, the WHO considers that PCR "can be used as a marker for this variant, pending confirmation of sequencing ".
However, experts are concerned by arguing that it could have higher transmissibility than previous variants such as Delta: "Using PCR, this variant has been detected at a faster rate than previous waves of infection, suggesting that this variant may have a growth advantage. "
Given the appearance of this new variant, the countries of the European Union are preparing to prohibit flights to or from South Africa and six other African countries for fear that it will spread along those routes. The restrictions will affect South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe and will apply "for fourteen days", for now.
The decision coincided this Friday with the first confirmed case in Europe of a patient infected with the new Omicron variant. This is a Belgian woman with symptoms of coronavirus who returned from a trip to Egypt 15 days ago.
0 Comments
Any Queries , You May Ask