Omicron: WHO warns risk related to Covid variant Omicron 'very high'; warns of severe consequences

New COVID-19 Omicron Variant: The World Health Organisation warned on November 29, 2021, that the new Covid-19 Omicron variant poses a 'very high' risk globally and stressed that the uncertainties remain about how contagious and dangerous is a new strain.

WHO, in a technical note has stated that if another major surge of Covid-19 takes place driven by Omicron, the consequences may be severe. The note added that, however, to date, no death linked to the Covid Omicron variant has been reported.

World Health Organisation warns risk related to Covid variant Omicron 'very high', reports AFP

— ANI (@ANI) November 29, 2021

The World Health Organisation (WHO) named the new COVID-19 variant- B.1.1.529- which was first detected in South Africa as 'Omicorn'. Because of its nature of spreading more quickly than other forms of COVID strains, the global health body has designated the new Coronavirus variant as the 'Variant of Concern'. 

As per WHO, the new COVID-19 variant has been detected at faster rates than the previous surges in infection further suggesting that this new Coronavirus strain may have a growth advantage. 

The Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution met today to review what is known about the #COVID19 variant B.1.1.529.
They advised WHO that it should be designated a Variant of Concern.
WHO has named it Omicron, in line with naming protocols https://t.co/bSbVas9yds pic.twitter.com/Gev1zIt1Ek

— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) November 26, 2021

South Africa had detected a new COVID-19 strain which carries an unusually large number of mutations and can be more infectious than Delta. The African country started to see a new variant of Coronavirus with over 30 spike mutations that further led to the rise in COVID-19 case numbers, particularly in the most populous province of Gauteng.

New COVID-19 variant in South Africa, assigned as B.1.1.529, was first spotted in Botswana and the other circulating countries such as South Africa and Hong Kong. The new coronavirus variant carries an unusually large number of mutations and is very different from the previous incarnations. As per the experts, it should be monitored because of its horrific spike profile.

The officials of the World Health Organisation (WHO) met on November 25, 2021, to discuss a new COVID-19 variant that has been circulating in Botswana and South Africa.

New Variant of COVID-19 in South Africa

The Director of the UCL Genetics Institute said that the new COVID-19 variant, B.1.1.529, carries an unusually large number of mutations. The variant is likely to have evolved during chronic infection of an immune-compromised person, probably in an untreated HIV/AIDS patient.

Francois Balloux added that it is currently difficult to predict how transmissible it may be at this stage. For the time being, the new COVID-19 variant must be closely monitored and analyzed, however, there is no reason to get overly concerned unless it starts going up in frequency in the near future.

How worrisome is the new COVID-19 variant?

B.1.1.529 variant, first detected in South Africa,  is said to be even more infectious than the Delta variant. The new variant spreads very quickly as, in less than 2 weeks, it has dominated all the infections following a devastating Delta wave in South Africa.

The very high number of mutations is a concern for predicted immune evasion and transmissibility.

This new variant, B.1.1.529 seems to spread very quick! In less than 2 weeks now dominates all infections following a devastating Delta wave in South Africa (Blue new variant, now at 75% of last genomes and soon to reach 100%) pic.twitter.com/Z9mde45Qe0

— Tulio de Oliveira (@Tuliodna) November 25, 2021

Govt of India cautions states as new COVID variant emerges

The Government of India has cautioned the states and the Union Territories against the new variant of COVID-19 that has been detected in South Africa and two other countries- Botswana and Hong Kong.

Rajesh Bhushan, the Union Health Secretary has written to the additional chief secretaries of all the states and UTs to conduct rigorous screening and test all the international passengers coming from or transiting through Hong Kong, South Africa, and Botswana.

The United Kingdom also on November 26, 2021, announced a temporary ban on flights from Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho. It also announced that the returning British travelers from the mentioned destinations will have to quarantine.

7 things to know about the new COVID-19 Variant

1. The new COVID-19 variant, B.1.1.529 has 50 mutations overall, including more than 30 on the spike protein alone. The spike protein is the main target of most COVID-19 vaccines and it is what the virus uses to unlock the access to human body’s cells. However, researchers are still identifying whether this makes the virus more transmissible than other variants.

2. 10 mutations are also on the receptor-binding domain part of the variant, in comparison to two for the Delta Variant.

3. There have also been speculations on the origin of the new COVID-19 variant, but it may have evolved from a single patient. The Director of UCL Genetics Institute, London, has suggested that the variant may have come from a chronic infection of an immuno-compromised person.

4. The new COVID strain, which was first identified in South Africa this week, has now spread to nearby countries, including Botswana where even the fully vaccinated people have been infected. In South Africa alone, over 100 cases have been linked to this variant.

5. Two cases have been found in Hong Kong where the travellers from the parts of South Africa were isolated in separate rooms.

6. Epidemiologist, Dr. Eric Feigl Ding said that because the patients were in separate rooms, there is a concern that this variant is air-borne. Hotel guests were in a different room across the hallway and the environmental samples have found the virus in 25 of 87 swabs across both rooms.

7. The World Health Organisation has also called for caution in the initial stages of dealing with the new COVID-19 variant. As per the global health body, more research needs to be conducted to understand how B.1.1.529 behaves.