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LAST UPDATE | 8 Dec 2021
THE OMICRON COVID-19 variant appears to be no worse than other coronavirus strains based on preliminary data, top scientists including Dr Mike Ryan from the WHO have said, while cautioning that more research is needed to judge its severity.
The hopeful assessments came as global concern grew over the variant, which has led to dozens of countries re-imposing border restrictions and Covid-19 measures.
While it is likely more transmissible than previous variants, Omicron is also “highly unlikely” to completely evade vaccine protections, the World Health Organization’s emergencies director Dr Mike Ryan told AFP.
“The preliminary data doesn’t indicate that this is more severe. In fact, if anything, the direction is towards less severity,” Dr Ryan said in an interview, insisting though that more research was needed.
Ryan also said there was no sign that Omicron could fully sidestep protections provided by existing Covid vaccines.
“We have highly effective vaccines that have proved effective against all the variants so far, in terms of severe disease and hospitalisation… There’s no reason to expect that it wouldn’t be so” for Omicron, he added, pointing to initial data from South Africa, where the strain was first reported.
However, Ryan acknowledged that it was possible that existing vaccines might prove less effective against Omicron, which counts more than 30 mutations on the spike protein that dots the surface of the coronavirus and allows it to invade cells.
Dr Fauci
Top US scientist Dr Anthony Fauci echoed the WHO’s view, saying Omicron did not appear worse than prior strains based on early indications – and was possibly milder.
The new variant is “clearly highly transmissible,” very likely more so than Delta, the current dominant global strain, Fauci told AFP.
“It almost certainly is not more severe than Delta,” he added. “There is some suggestion that it might even be less severe.”
But he noted it was important to not over-interpret this data because the populations being followed skewed young and were less likely to become hospitalised. Severe disease can also take weeks to develop.
“Then as we get more infections throughout the rest of the world, it might take longer to see what’s the level of severity.”
Pfizer jab
The coronavirus vaccine developed jointly by BioNTech and Pfizer is “still effective” against the Omicron variant of the virus after three doses, the companies said in a statement today.
A laboratory study by its makers found the vaccine “is still effective in preventing Covid-19, also against Omicron, if it has been administered three times”, but warned that “the Omicron variant is probably not sufficiently neutralised after two doses”.
According to the study “a third dose provides a similar level of neutralising antibodies to Omicron as is observed after two doses” for other variants.
Pfizer and BioNTech also said that an Omicron-specific version of the anti-coronavirus vaccine, currently in development by BioNTech, would be available by March.
“Although two doses of the vaccine may still offer protection against severe disease caused by the Omicron strain, it’s clear from these preliminary data that protection is improved with a third dose of our vaccine,” Pfizer chief executive Albert Bourla said in a statement.
Global concern
The detection of the first Omicron cases last month coincided with surges in infection numbers across the world, and the variant added fuel to concerns about a global Covid resurgence.
As European Union health ministers met yesterday to find ways to coordinate their response, Norway announced it will tighten restrictions to combat its surge.
It followed a suspected outbreak of Omicron last week among dozens of partygoers who had all been vaccinated led to new restrictions in and around the capital Oslo.
Neighbouring Sweden also said yesterday it would launch a series of anti-Covid measures.
Elsewhere in Europe, Poland said from December 15, it will restrict the number of people allowed in churches, restaurants and theatres, and make vaccination compulsory for healthcare workers, teachers and the military from March 1.
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Lift all restrictions immediately and salvage what’s left of some sectors of business.
@a: It’s a poor bit of trolling when no one on journal.ie bites.
@Justin Gillespie: how is that trolling, seriously? Like you can disagree with someone without calling them a troll. It just loses all meaning if you’re going to throw the word around in situations where it doesn’t make sense.
@Laura Walsh: if you’re familiar with the comment section you’ll be aware of his record of trolling. He’s always trying to stir.
I think we should go for full lockdowns anyway…. for nostalgias sake. Just to rub it in the face of those Anti-Vaxxers and Anti-Boosters(previous pro vaxxers) who kept talking about looney vaccine passports, controlled economic collapse and endless medical tyranny based on endless pandemics.
I think we should all have to wear bracelets as a public display of our gullibility… as a rightful show of faith and our trust of politicians (FFG & non-opposition SF) and multinationals. Only a right wing loon would thing that supranational entities, multinationals and politicians vested interests, do not align exactly to our own.
@Special_Ed:
Citizen 7266389G
You have committed a thought crime. You must now present yourself to the misitry of corrections where you will be subjected to 15 hours of continuous Hector and Al Porter television programming. Term is 7 days. (Everyone breaks by day 1)
@Special_Ed: When satire imitates a pending reality.
@O’Brien: al porter would probably take that tv gig at this stage.
@Alpha Centauri: It’s always pending though, isn’t it ? The ‘truth’, and the evidence for it are just around the corner. It’s coming…… Just wait……….. Anytime now…..
@Tommy Roche: You’re correct Tommy. It’s always pending. Just 2 weeks to flatten the curve.
When this was discovered in South Africa it was noted that it was more transmissible yet with a lot less severe symptoms.
So why dismiss these findings but massively promote the early severity findings of the Delta variant ?
Surely it’s a positive that it’s more transmissible with weaker symptoms thus creating natural immunity ?
@Mr Bordello: it could be the beginning of the end if it turns out it rips through the world but is only a cold.
However, it takes days or weeks to go from sick, to very sick, to hospital to icu to death etc. We dont yet know. South Africa has a much younger population too.
But i am optimistic.
@Jeff Cole: I am optimistic too. Early indications are showing that it may be less severe. I think the risk will be if it replicates and spreads more easily, another variant will pop up again. But hopefully it’s like the Spanish flu and dials itself down.
@Mr Bordello: I don’t think anyone was “dismissing” those early findings. They were just saying it was too early to draw that conclusion. It takes several weeks for infections to turn to hospitalisations and then to deaths. Even now it’s still to early to be sure. With delta in was the same. We started seeing cases in December but it was January before we started getting large numbers of people in hospital and dying.
@Mr Bordello:
1. I didnt know I could make comments.
2. There’s no PC way of saying this, Irish media generally doesn’t allow health experts who are black or yellow. It’s all white dudes with terrible track records of corruption.
3. Merry Christmas.
No doubt the Irish ‘experts’ will have a different take on it.
It might be not as severe as Delta, but tests, conducted in Germany and shared by Christian Drosten, one of the leading virologists there, show the following: 6 months after the vaccination, the protection against Omicron is 0%. Yes, zero percent. A booster shot helps for a few weeks, but after 3 months, the protection is down to 25% again.
@Claudia Varell: Is this a real comment?. Omicron has been out about 2-3 weeks maybe a bit longer but this guy knows when the world didn’t? And what’s worst is people are giving you a thumbs up. Bring back the thumbs down.
@Claudia Varell: what a guy, is the time machine he has available for rent?
@Derek Lyster: It will be available 6 months ago
Your answers just prove that you don’t know how laboratories work. Can you imagine that they can take the blood and other samples of someone who has been vaccinated 6 months ago and test, how the immune reaction to the Omicron variant is? Same with the boosters which have given out in some countries since months. The main issue is, that the vaccination is for the Alpha variant and was already less effective against Delta, like another well reputated virologist, Alexander Kekulé pointed out 3 weeks ago. Dr. Kekulé also hit out against politicians and their false promises about freedom through vaccinations. Especially after data from Brazil last year proved, that there won’t be a herd immunity against Covid. He called it the “pandemic of the vaccinated”.
Felt very hopeful after getting the booster shot last week. Thought I was protected for another nine months. Even considered booking a holiday. But on Prime Time last night a medic said that the Pfizer vaccine (the booster vaccine) is less effective against the new Omicron variant.
@Declan Reidy: less effective does not mean not effective. 89% is less than 90% but still a pretty good number. Be careful about how you interpret these things and use multiple sources to inform yourself. Full disclosure, my 89/90% analogy is only an analogy. I don’t know what the actual effectiveness rates are
Open the nightclubs!
@Alan Lynch: Yay!
have your say