In the wake of the emergence of the new Omicron variant of coronavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned of higher global risk. The new variant is believed to have severe and deadlier consequences.
Is it a global risk?
Even though no deaths linked to the Omicron variant have been reported so far, it doesn’t lessen the global risk, which is very high. Here’s everything you need to know about the new highly-mutated variant.
Credit: @DrTedros, Twitter
Recently, Tedros had tweeted, “There have been as many plagues as wars in history, yet always plagues and wars take people equally by surprise. Omicron’s emergence reminds us of how perilous and precarious our situation is. We should be wide awake to the threat of this virus.” It has been categorised as the most-troubling variant of Covid-19, along with the globally-dominant Delta.
Was Omicron detected in the Netherlands first?
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With 16 confirmed cases of the new variant, Netherlands has reported that Omicron was detected a week earlier in the country than in South Africa. The RIVM National Health and Environment Institute said that it found the new corona variant in two test samples on November 19 and 23: “It is not yet clear whether the people concerned have also been to southern Africa.”
Can an RT-PCR test detect Omicron infection?
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The World Health Organization stated that PCR tests can detect infection, including infection with Omicron, just like it did other variants: “Studies are ongoing to determine whether there is any impact on other types of tests, including rapid antigen detection tests.”
However, RT-PCR tests are not designed to detect which particular variant has infected a person, it only confirms the person has an infection or not.
Which countries are most affected by Omicron?
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Even though India hasn’t reported any cases of the new mutant yet, countries like the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Botswana, Australia, Portugal, Hong Kong, Germany are already battling the new strain with 14-16 cases.
Other countries with 2-3 confirmed cases include Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Israel, Italy, Japan, Spain and Sweden.
How is India preparing to fight the new variant?
Mansukh Mandaviya, the Union Health Minister, has assured that they are checking suspicious cases and conducting genome sequencing. The Health Ministry said, “It is imperative that intensive containment, active surveillance, increased coverage of vaccination, and Covid-appropriate behaviour be enforced in a very proactive measure to effectively manage this variant of concern.”
India’s at-risk nations list currently includes Brazil, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, the UK, Israel, South Africa, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore and Hong Kong. Apart from this, travellers coming from new mutant infected countries have to carry a negative RT-PCR test report.
Can it reinfect people or those fully vaccinated?
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According to WHO, those who have had COVID-19 can be reinfected easily with this variant. They are working with technical partners to understand the severity and its impact on vaccines.
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