The WHO has good news about Omicron

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In an interview with Agency France-Presse, the World Health Organization’s emergency response official said there was “no reason” to question the effectiveness of currently available vaccines against corona in protecting against serious infections through the new mutated version. Omigron virus.
“We have the most effective vaccines that have so far proven to be effective against all types based on the severity of the disease and hospitalization, and there is no reason to think that this may not be the case,” Michael Ryan told Omigron. It is time to do more research in this regard.

The doctor, who rarely gives personal press interviews, said, “The general behavior we have observed so far has not shown an increase in risk. In fact, some places in South Africa report milder symptoms compared to those caused by previous mutations.” Versions of the virus.

However, a senior UN official called for caution in handling the data, as the new mutant was only discovered by South African authorities on November 24, and its presence was recorded in dozens of countries.

“We are still in the beginning. We need to be very careful about how we analyze this data,” he said, stressing more than once during the interview that the available data and research are still in its infancy.

The spread of this new mutation has caused some panic, especially in Europe, which is already facing a strong fifth wave of Govt-19 infections caused by delta mutations.

The Irish epidemiologist, who has battled deadly diseases such as Ebola and the Marburg virus, has now been at the forefront of the fight against Kovit-19 since its discovery in late 2019, with the first information gathered in South Africa. “The protection provided by vaccines seems to be resilient.” “So far.

But he later acknowledged that vaccines against omigran are less effective, which is characterized by a large number of mutations in spike protein, which are spiny protrusions that allow viruses to attach to them before they can invade cells. Reproduction.

But he said it was “absolutely impossible” that the mutant could completely escape the protection provided by the vaccine.

He reiterated, “Preliminary data released by South Africa did not show a catastrophic decline in performance, on the contrary, this time.”

With the start of the vaccination campaign, he stressed that his colleagues had been repeating for over a year that “getting the vaccine is the best weapon we currently have”.

The World Health Organization classifies Omigran as “dangerous” and its spread is rapid. “When a new mutant appears, its infection is more likely to spread rapidly because it competes with other mutants,” Ryan explained.

Omigron may mask the delta mutation, which has been the cause of most infections in the world since its discovery in India by the end of 2020.

The same rules

The scientist believed that Omigran could spread very quickly in South Africa “because it takes advantage of the Delta’s wound reduction.”

There are early signs that the new mutant may be more susceptible to those who have been vaccinated with or before the Covit-19 vaccine.

The doctor noted, “There is data that re-infection is more likely to occur in Omigran compared to previous mutations,” but he quickly said that vaccines are designed to protect against serious infections, not necessarily from the smallest.

He added, “It is not important for us to know if the injury will recur with Omigran, but it is important for us to know if the new infections are stronger or less severe.”

In particular, he stressed the need to respect preventive measures such as wearing masks, ventilation of closed halls, physical space and everything.

“The nature of the virus has not changed, the rules are the same,” Ryan insisted.