The World Health Organization announced Friday it has designated the newly identified coronavirus variant, B.1.1.529, as a variant of concern, named Omicron.
The advisers recommended WHO designate the variant as"of concern," referencing the variant's large number of mutations, the possibility of increased risk of reinfection and other evidence. South African officials initially said there was one confirmed case in a traveler from South Africa to Hong Kong. Then Hong Kong health authorities on Friday identified a second case of the B.1.1.529 variant among returning travelers on the same floor of a designated quarantine hotel.
Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of Brown University's School of Public Health, told CNN the variant was"acting differently," however, and it"looks like it's much more contagious than even the Delta variant." "It is the most heavily mutated version of the virus we have seen to date. This variant carries some changes we've seen previously in other variants but never all together in one virus. It also has novel mutations," Young said in a statement.
Sharon Peacock, a professor of Public Health and Microbiology at the University of Cambridge, said while the overall number of Covid-19 cases is relatively low in South Africa, there has been a rapid increase in the past seven days. Jha, too, said scientists were concerned by the speed with which the Omicron variant has taken off."This one has become dominant very quickly in South Africa, in the regions where it's been found, within a matter of days to weeks as opposed to months," he told CNN.Peacock, de Oliveira, Ferguson, Jha and other scientists said it was too early to tell the full impact of the mutations on vaccine efficacy.
It is also unclear where the new mutation emerged from. While it was first identified in South Africa, it may have come from elsewhere.Vaccine maker Moderna said Friday the combination of mutations seen in the new Omicron variant represents a"significant potential risk to accelerate the waning of natural and vaccine-induced immunity."
"AstraZeneca is also already conducting research in locations where the variant has been identified, namely in Botswana and Eswatini, that will enable us to collect real world data of Vaxzevria against this new virus variant," the spokesperson said.Scientists have praised South African health authorities for their quick reaction to a Covid-19 outbreak in the country's Gauteng province, which led to the discovery of the new variant.
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