The Omicron variant represents a “very high” global risk and can spread to areas on different continents at an accelerated rate. The alert was made in a document sent by the WHO (World Health Organization) to governments, asking them to pay more attention to prevent a new phase of the health crisis from spiraling out of control. The organization also called for distributing doses to the poorest countries and that the mutation is proof that the epidemic will be controlled only when it is stopped everywhere.
According to the organization, in some places, the mutation of the Kovid-19 virus can have “serious consequences”. Last week, the South African government alerted the agency to the identification of new mutations in the COVID-19 virus. And, as a result, governments in different regions of the world began to impose barriers in several African countries, a gesture that was criticized by the WHO.
However, this moment deserves attention for the agency. “Omicrons have an unprecedented number of extreme mutations, some of which are of concern for their potential impact on the trajectory of the pandemic,” the WHO said. “The overall overall risk associated with the new omicron strain of worry is very high.”
“Preliminary evidence suggests that there may be an increased risk of reinfection with this type compared to other forms of anxiety,” it says.
“Based on these characteristics, if there is another large outbreak of Covid-19 driven by Omicron, the consequences could be dire. Rising cases, regardless of change in severity, can place enormous demands on health systems and lead to increased morbidity and mortality. The impact on vulnerable populations will be substantial, especially in countries with low vaccination coverage,” warns governments.
According to the agency, some of the mutations “are worrying and may be associated with the ability for immune flight and increased communicability.” “However, there are still considerable uncertainties,” he admits.
“Given the mutations that may confer immunological leakage potential and potentially transmittable benefits, the potential for omicrons to be spread on a global scale is high”, he cautioned.
“Based on these characteristics, outbreaks may occur in the future, which may have serious consequences, depending on a number of factors, including which outbreaks may occur. The overall overall risk associated with the new mutation is rated very high.
speed up vaccination
The agency acknowledged there is a race among scientists to try to understand the risks posed by the new strain identified on the African continent. But the WHO makes no recommendation for the suspension of flights along the region.
In addition to strengthening health systems, the main recommendation is for countries to accelerate vaccination of high priority groups.
For the agency, governments should “accelerate vaccination coverage as quickly as possible, especially among populations designated as high priority who live unvaccinated or have not yet been fully vaccinated.”
There is no evidence yet on the effect of the variant on the ability of vaccines to protect the population. The data is expected in the coming weeks. While the risk of an impact on protection exists, WHO insists that vaccination will provide some form of protection.
The WHO technical report warned, “There is a risk of infection in cases of COVID-19 and in vaccinated individuals, albeit in a small and predictable proportion.”
Tedros calls for vaccines and says “the world lives in a cycle of panic and neglect”
The director-general of the WHO, Tedros Ghebreyesus, in a speech in Geneva at the World Health Assembly on Monday morning, insisted on warning about the risks posed by the pandemic.
“We are entering the third year of the most acute health crisis in a hundred years and with a world that remains under stress,” warned the agency’s head, who points out that a new wave of contamination is real.
“Although we have seen a decline in cases in some areas, what we have learned is that no country is safe until we are all safe,” he said.
“The micro shows how dangerous and precarious our situation is,” he warned. For him, the version is a message that the pandemic is not over.
“We live in a cycle of panic and neglect,” he said. “Profits can be undone and our job is to end the pandemic,” he insisted.
For him, the crisis cannot be overcome without solving the vaccine shortage in the poorest countries. According to Tedros, in the largest vaccination campaign in history, 8 billion vaccines have already been given.
But, according to him, the poorest countries were “trampled” for supplements. Today, 80% of vaccines are with G20 countries, while the poorest people have received only 0.6 vaccines.
Tedros insists that the distribution of vaccines is not charitable. But it will be in everyone’s interest. “We are all in this together,” he said. The greater the failure to reach vaccines, the greater the risk of mutation.
For that, governments must commit to guaranteeing vaccines for 40% of each country’s population by the end of the year. But, according to the WHO, 103 countries do not reach that rate.
Tedros also criticized the fact that while rich countries vaccinate their children, only 25% of nurses and doctors in poor countries are safe. He said, ‘It is unacceptable.
