Giving Compass' Take:
- Here are the early facts and figures surrounding the emerging and concerning new COVID-19 variant: Omicron.
- As more variants emerge, why is it critical to ensure that the public has accurate information about new trends in COVID-19? How can we learn from past medical information campaigns?
- Learn more about future patterns of COVID-19.
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The latest COVID-19 variant to rise to the level of concern was named on Nov. 26: Omicron.
A lot of work needs to be done to understand the transmissibility, severity, and immune evasiveness of Omicron, according to the Conversation. But there's a lot we do know and can infer about the virus based on the best scientific and public health insights available, which can guide how we act in the weeks and months ahead.
What Is the Omicron Variant?
The COVID-19 virus is constantly evolving as it seeks to evade human immune responses and infect more people but most of its evolutions are insignificant. Every now and then, a variant of the disease emerges that warrants a closer look. Omicron is the latest such evolution, following (from most recent) Delta, Gamma, Beta, and Alpha.
Epidemiologists in South Africa sequenced the Omicron strain and reported their findings to the WHO on Nov. 24, noting that it contains more than 30 mutations in the virus’ spike proteins, which allow it to penetrate and infect cells. The variant was first discovered in Botswana.
3 Things You Need to Know About the Omicron Variant of COVID-19
- Omicron was first reported in Botswana and then South Africa but has since spread to more than a dozen countries.
- The variant has an unusually high number of mutations, but this in and of itself doesn’t tell us much about its effects on the human body.
- Some countries have enacted travel bans from southern Africa, which some scientists have called a “kneejerk reaction.” The same rules apply for containing Omicron as any other variant: vaccine equity; universal access to treatments, masks, and hygiene maintenance; and poverty reduction measures.
How Does Omicron Differ From Other Strains in Its Effects on the Human Body?
Early reports suggest that people infected with the Omicron variant have symptoms similar to those of the flu — fatigue and head and body aches — whereas people with the Delta variant often report low oxygen levels, elevated pulse rates, and loss of smell and taste, according to Bloomberg.
Read the full article about Omicron variant by Joe McCarthy at Global Citizen.