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The president of the South African Medical Association, who revealed the existence of the new strain, however calls for calm
La omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 has raised the social alarm in recent days due to the reactions it has caused in several European countries and also in the United States, where new border closures are being proposed to control it. There has been talk of a potential risk greater than that of alpha or delta variants, which already caused great concern a few months ago due to doubts about the effectiveness of existing vaccines against these new strains of the virus. Angelique Coetzee, president of the South African Medical Association, was the first to alert the authorities in her country of the appearance of omicron (variant B.1.1.529) on November 18. The epidemiological situation in South Africa has been characterized by three distinct peaks in reported cases, the last of which was predominantly the Delta variant. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Infections have increased considerably in recent weeks coinciding with the detection of this variant. The first confirmed infection was from a sample collected on November 9, 2021.
Symptoms of the omicron variant: from extreme fatigue to muscle pain
The B.1.1.529 variant is similar to the beta, also identified in South Africa. Omicron has unusual but mild symptoms, and extreme fatigue is the most palpable in the cases identified so far. Those infected with omicron have another peculiarity compared to previous strains, and that is that they do not suffer the symptom that until now was clearest to suspect contagion of covid-19; the loss of smell and taste. Yes, there is a unusual elevated heart rate and very high fever. According to Coetzee, other symptoms in those infected with omicron are muscle pain for a couple of days. The development of the disease is mild. However, he warned of the potential danger of a more pronounced development and severe disease among the unvaccinated.
The omicron variant in people vaccinated against covid
The WHO expects that there will be "cases and infections in vaccinated people", although "in a small proportion and predictable in relation to vaccine efficacy values." "Despite the uncertainties, it is reasonable to assume that currently available vaccines offer some protection against severe illness and death," they explain.
Global risk of spreading omicron "high"
The WHO has warned that this variant has a "high" global risk of spread, which is why it has asked countries to be prepared for its possible consequences. In a technical report addressed to the Member States, the possibility of "future waves of covid-19, which could have serious consequences," has been advanced. In this sense, they qualify as "high" the possible spread of omicron worldwide and "very high" its possible impact, "given mutations that may confer immune escape potential and possibly a transmissibility advantage."
