What you should know about the Omicron Covid-19 variant
Scientists, health officials, and the general public around the world, particularly in Nigeria, are concerned about the introduction of the Omicron version of the Coronavirus, which was discovered in Botswana and South Africa.
Their concerns stem from an extremely high number of changes that could make the Omicron Covid-19 variant more easily spread and resistant to existing vaccinations.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) has labeled it a “variant of concern,” warning that the global risks it poses are “extremely high.”
So far, cases have been identified in 20 countries, including Nigeria, Egypt, the United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands, among others. Though Omicron has just been discovered in the United States, as announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Why should Nigerians and the rest of the world be concerned?
The revelation has sparked widespread alarm, with several countries prohibiting flights from Southern Africa, as well as Israel, Japan, Nigeria, and Morocco banning foreign visitors entirely.
According to the New York Times, public health specialists have advised caution, stating that there is no hard proof that Omicron is more harmful than prior varieties such as Delta, which soon surpassed their predecessors in the United States and other nations.
Facts regarding the Omicron version that are known and unknown
The Delta version has been proven to be far more transmissible than previous varieties, according to Olaolu Oba, a Nigerian medical expert who disclosed this in an interview with Naairametrics, adding there is some evidence that it can cause more severe sickness in the unvaccinated.
“However, much about Omicron remains unclear, including whether it is more transmissible and capable of causing more serious sickness,“ he said. There’s some indication that the variation makes it easier for people to get infected again.
“There are early indications that Omicron may only cause a little sickness.” However, that observation was based primarily on cases in South Africa among young people, who are less prone to becoming extremely ill from COVID in general. “
According to the South African Medical Association, hospitals in the country were not overburdened with patients infected with the new variety, and the majority of those admitted were not fully inoculated.
Most patients she had seen did not lose their sense of taste and smell, and had only a slight cough, said Dr. Angelique Coetzee, chairwoman of the South African Medical Association.
Main Point
Overall, Omicron’s appearance is so recent that experts may not know whether it is more pathogenic for some time. In the following weeks, scientists anticipate discovering a lot more. They claim there’s no reason to suppose Omicron is immune to existing vaccines right now, but they could prove to be less effective in the future.
