Recently, a new variant of the Corona virus has been discovered to be the dominant variant in South Africa. The World Health Organization has reported that the variant has already been found in 24 countries. The main concerns surrounding this new variant are whether current vaccines work against the variant and stop an increase of infections. Variants differ due to mutations, Omicron has 26 new ones, including mutations of the spike protein of the virus. “Many of them seem likely to render the variant more difficult for the immune system to recognize and thwart.”(New York Times 2021)
Currently, the South Africa's National Institute for Communicable Diseases is stating that the vaccine is still protecting people. ”The NICD said early epidemiological data showed Omicron was able to evade some immunity, but existing vaccines should still protect against severe disease and death” (The Guardian 2021). People that have previously been infected with the virus will not be protected as suggested by current data and studies. The World Health Organization has stated that the main reason for variants being able to develop and spread is the unvaccinated population. In South Africa only 24% are completely vaccinated against Covid-19, making the country more vulnerable to new variants.
Various countries have already placed travel restrictions on people who are either from affected African countries or are allowing only their own citizens to enter the country. For example, the United States will not be allowing people coming from Botswana, Malawi, South Africa, Namibia, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Mozambique to enter the country unless they have an US passport. On December 12th the BBC reported that there are about 2,500 daily confirmed cases in the UK (5% of Covid-19 tests) but in November only 0.1% were found in tests.
One of the top concerns is whether the vaccine still continues to work effectively. Several sources have suggested that people should get their booster vaccinations in order to have more protection against the variant. Booster shots are necessary because immunity gained by the previous vaccinations decrease with time. Producers of the vaccines such as Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna want to find out whether they have to change their vaccines to reach the desired level of immunity against Omicron. “Preparing for the worst, Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson are planning to test an artificial version of Omicron against their vaccines.” (New York Times 2021). Scientists indicate that the strongest defence they have found against Covid is when someone was infected and then received the vaccine. Yet, it is not realistic or ethical to expect a population to get infected in order to have antibodies due to the risk to their health and life, therefore they will explore if the triple shot will cause a similar effect.
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Bibliography:
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CDC. “Antibodies and COVID-19.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 10 Nov. 2021, www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/about-covid-19/antibodies.html.
Gallagher, James. “The Latest Lab Science on Omicron's Threat.” BBC News, BBC, 9 Dec. 2021, www.bbc.com/news/health-59580290.
Harrison, Virginia. “Omicron Variant Fuelling 'Exponential' Rise in Covid Cases, Say South Africa Officials.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 2 Dec. 2021, www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/02/omicron-variant-fuelling-exponential-rise-in-covid-cases-say-south-africa-officials.
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Triggle, Nick. “Covid: South Africa New Cases Surge as Omicron Spreads.” BBC News, BBC, 2 Dec. 2021, www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-59503517.