World Health Organisation's Director-General Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus said the new variant Omicron is spreading at a rate faster than all the earlier COVID-19 variants. He added that over 77 countries have reported the new variant so far.
This highly transmissible virus could also be prevalent in other countries but has not yet been detected, the Director General said at a media briefing on Tuesday. He also conveyed that even if the virus does not cause severe disease it could lead to an increasing number of people opting for hospitalisation thereby overwhelming health systems. The WHO feels that countries are making the mistake of underestimating the perils of the virus.
The first case was reported from South Africa on November 24. India reported its first two cases on December 2 and since then the number of cases has risen to 60. The United Kingdom reported their first death
Need for Booster Shots?
A recent South African study showed that the Omicron variant did not escape the immunity induced by the Pfizer vaccine in people who were previously infected and had received both the doses of the vaccine. The study also showed that if the person had received both the doses but was not infected, the variant reduced the effect of the antibodies by close to 40 per cent. In those who received booster shots, this escape of immunity was lesser.
The US has reported the presence of the Omicron variant even in those who have received booster shots. Several Indian health practitioners are asking for the booster dose to be given to health workers and the vulnerable population, but the Indian government has not made any decisions so far.
When asked if the WHO was against the booster doses, the Director General stated that they are vouching for vaccine equity over booster doses. The apex health organisation highlighted the difference in vaccination rates and said that almost 41 countries have still not been able to vaccinate 10 per cent of their populations, and 98 countries have not reached 40 per cent of their populations.
They wish that booster shots be given only after a majority of countries have vaccinated a larger proportion of their citizens. Giving boosters to groups at low risk of severe disease or death simply endangers the lives of those at high risk who are still waiting for their primary doses because of supply constraint while giving additional doses to people at high risk can save more lives than giving primary doses to those at low risk.
Masking, Social Distancing Most Important
The Director General emphasised on the need to continue following social precautionary public health measures like masking, social distancing, and healthy hand hygiene.
While vaccination does limit the spread, if these measures are not followed diligently, the risk of the virus will still be prevalent. International organisations have conducted research on the decrease in masking across countries.
Instead of open spaces, the virus is now rapidly spreading through areas with poor ventilation which are normally indoors and people do not follow strict masking and social decreasing. The WHO wants this to change and has asked people to follow these measures like they used to in 2020.