ANALYSIS: There is global concern and widespread concern about the discovery of SARS-CoV-2 Variant B.1.1.529, which the World Health Organization (WHO) called Omicron.
the WHO classifies Omicron as a “worrying variant” because it has a large number of mutations. This suggests that vaccines and treatments may be less effective.
Although in its early days Omicron is able to infect humans more easily than other strains.
Australia has followed other countries and regions – including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Union – and prohibited travelers from nine South African countries.
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Australian trying to return home from southern Africa will still be able to. But they will go into hotel quarantine and be tested. Anyone who has returned from the nine countries of South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, the Seychelles, Malawi and Mozambique in the past 14 days has to isolate themselves.
But Omicron has already been detected in other regions including the UK, Germany, Israel, Hong Kong and Belgium. While a travel ban on countries in southern Africa may slow the spread of the disease and provide limited time, it is unlikely to stop.
As the Australian government and others act to protect their own citizens, this should come with additional resources to assist countries in southern Africa and elsewhere that are acting quickly.
Denis Farrell / AP
Omicron was first identified in South Africa on November 22nd (file photo).
When was Omicron discovered?
The variant was identified on November 22nd in South Africa from a sample taken from a patient on November 9th.
South African virologists immediately took action with colleagues about the Genome Monitoring Network in South Africa, contacted the government and notified the World Health Organization on November 24th.
This corresponds to the International health regulations the guidelines on how countries should respond.
The behavior of this new variant is still unclear. Some have claimed that the rate of growth of Omicron infections, reflecting their transmissibility, could be even higher than that of the Delta variant. This “growth advantage” has yet to be demonstrated, but it is worrying.
Jerome Delay / AP
People line up at OR Tambo Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa on Friday to catch the Air France flight to Paris.
“Knee shrug” response compared to WHO recommendations
African scientists and politicians were disappointed in what they see as a “knee-jerk” reaction from countries that impose travel bans. They argue that the bans will have a significant negative impact on the South African economy, which traditionally welcomes year-end tourists from all over the world over the summer.
They note that it is still unclear whether the new variant comes from South Africa, even if it was identified there for the first time. Since Omicron has already been detected in several other countries, it may already be circulating in regions that are not covered by travel bans.
Travel bans for countries discovering new variants and the resulting economic costs may also deter countries from uncovering worrying variants in the future.
the WHO generally not recommended Flight bans or other forms of travel embargoes. Instead, it is argued that priority should be given to interventions of proven value: vaccination, hand hygiene, physical distancing, well-fitting masks, and good ventilation.
In response to variants of concern, WHO urges all countries to improve surveillance and sequencing, report initial cases or clusters, and conduct investigations to improve understanding of variant behavior.
Omicron must be taken seriously. Its functions are worrying, but there are major gaps in our current knowledge. While further analysis is in progress, the variant should be controlled through testing, tracing, isolation, application of known public health measures, and ongoing surveillance.
What can wealthier countries do to help?
Wealthy countries like Australia should help African nations and others share and contain early warnings about potentially serious communicable disease threats.
As the Independent body on pandemic preparedness and response noted in May: “Public health actors see the only drawbacks in raising awareness of an outbreak that can spread.”
The panel recommended creating incentives to reward early action. This can include support with:
- Establishment of research and educational partnerships.
- Strengthening health systems and communicable disease surveillance.
- Significantly improve vaccine availability, distribution and equity.
- Consider financial compensation in the form of a solidarity fund against the risk of a pandemic.
Increasing your vaccination coverage is key
Vaccines remain the main pillar of protection against the worst effects of Covid-19.
It is unclear how effective vaccines against Omicron will be, but some level of protection is likely to be believed. Pfizer has also indicated that it could develop an effective vaccine against a new variant, such as: Omicron within 100 days or so.
The persistence of Covid is partly due to the patchy vaccination coverage in many parts of the world, especially the least developed. South Africa itself is better off than most countries on the continent, but only 24 percent of the adult population are currently fully vaccinated. For the whole of Africa it is only 7.2 percent.
Greater global support is urgently needed to increase these vaccination rates.
African institutions and leading figures, supported by global health and vaccine experts, have spoken out in favor of manufacturing facilities for mRNA vaccines on the African continent. These would prioritize regional populations, overcome supply chain problems and respond in real time to emerging disease threats.
But developing countries are ahead significant obstacles to acquire intellectual property related to the development and production of Covid-19 vaccines.
While there is still much to be learned about the behavior and impact of Omicron, the global community must show genuine support and consent to countries that are doing the right thing by sharing information promptly and transparently.
Anthony Zwi is Professor of Global Health and Development at UNSW.
This article was originally published on The conversation. Read the original article.
