Prevention key to managing Omicron

VACCINATIONS remain critical to reducing severe cases of COVID-19 or death, as concerns about a new variant of concern (Omicron) emerge, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports.

In a statement issued overnight the WHO noted that it was not yet clear whether infection with Omicron causes more severe disease than other strains of the virus, including the dominant Delta variant.

“Preliminary data suggests that there are increasing rates of hospitalization in South Africa, but this may be due to increasing overall numbers of people becoming infected, rather than a result of specific infection with Omicron,” the WHO said.

“There is currently no information to suggest that symptoms associated with Omicron are different from those from other variants.

“Initial reported infections were among university students— younger individuals who tend to have more mild disease—but understanding the level of severity of the Omicron variant will take days to several weeks.

“All variants of COVID-19, including the Delta variant that is dominant worldwide, can cause severe disease or death, in particular for the most vulnerable people, and thus prevention is always key.”

The WHO noted that initial evidence has indicated that patients who had previously been infected with COVID-19 could become reinfected with Omicron more than with other strains of the virus.

The Organization added that it was “working with technical partners to understand the potential impact of this variant on our existing countermeasures, including vaccines”.

“Vaccines remain critical to reducing severe disease and death,” the WHO said.

“Current vaccines remain effective against severe disease and death.”

The WHO added that corticosteroids and IL6 Receptor Blockers “will still be effective for managing patients with severe COVID-19”, adding that “other treatments will be assessed to see if they are still as effective given the changes to parts of the virus in the Omicron variant”.

Meanwhile, the Organization said studies were ongoing to determine whether the mutations in the new strain would impact the effectiveness of rapid antigen tests.