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The UK and South Africa (South Africa) are the countries where the new variant of the coronavirus has spread most rapidly and on a massive scale. Omikron has already replaced Delta there (in the London Isles) and has become the dominant strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus detected in the samples tested. Every day, new information flows from both countries, which may be a hint on how to deal with the mutation where – as in Poland – it has only just appeared. What can we learn from the UK and South Africa about the Omicron?
- Omikron has already been detected in most countries of the world. Most cases are currently in Great Britain, South Africa, the USA, as well as Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland, Australia and Germany
- Data from these countries show that the course of infection with the new coronavirus variant is usually mild
- Experts, however, dampen enthusiasm, recommending not to attach much importance to these findings, because they concern too few patients, in addition mostly young and vaccinated patients.
- More information can be found on the TvoiLokony home page
Omicron range in the world
Omicron is the fastest spreading strain of the coronavirus. It was first detected on November 11 in Botswana. Within a few days, he was already in other African countries and crossed the borders of the continent, reaching e.g. to Japan. It was detected in Europe at the end of November, and today it is present in almost every country in the world. As the secretary general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday in Geneva, the presence of Omikron in their territory has been reported by 77 countries, but most likely it is also already in the others, as yet unidentified.
According to data from the GISAID database, the greatest number of infections with the new variant is currently in Great Britain – already 4 have been detected here. 120 cases. The second is South Africa, where Omikron appeared a month ago and dominated other variants within a dozen or so days – here there have been 1 thousand infections before so far. 247. There are quite a few cases in the USA (421), Denmark (273), Belgium (131), Switzerland (129), Australia (126) and Germany (104).
- Also read: Chinese epidemiologist: Europe will grapple with pandemic by 2024
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The variant is also available in Poland. The first case was found in a 30-year-old Lesotho citizen who came to our country for the UN Digital Summit in Katowice. Coronavirus was also present in samples taken from two members of the same delegation, but this variant of SARS-CoV-2 was not found in them.
However, today the Ministry of Health announced the second case. The Omikron variant was detected in a sample collected from a three-year-old girl from Warsaw. We write more about it here.
- Also read: Why has there been no Omikron in Poland so far?
A new variant of the Omikron resistant to restrictions?
Most countries, following the discovery of a new variant of the coronavirus, which in many of them coincided with the peak of the fourth wave of the pandemic, introduced additional restrictions. They primarily affected travelers crossing national borders – all to minimize the risk of Omicron being transferred. Today it is known that the strain has escaped all blockages, despite meticulous testing of travelers.
A good example are the last two high-profile cases of infection with the variant: the aforementioned citizen of Lesotho and a teenage Polish woman, in whom Omikron was detected after her arrival in Tianjin, China. In the first case, the variant was not detected after arriving in Poland, but only before leaving the country, i.e. when a woman from an African country had already spent several days in Poland. In the case of a girl from Warsaw, the test before flying to China was also negative. This may mean that at the time of the first examination, the infection was, in both cases, too fresh for the tests to detect it.
- Omicron – what are the symptoms compared to previous mutations?
The countries where Omikron has been present for almost a month show that the infection with this variant is rather mild, the symptoms are not severe and most patients do not require hospitalization. Although this information seems encouraging, specialists recommend not to attach so much importance to it. Why?
Omikron: How to Interpret South African Data?
First of all, these data come mainly from South Africa, where the disease affects mainly young people and those who are rather in good health, for whom the potential infection is not as heavy a burden as in the case of the elderly or those with comorbidities. It is worth mentioning that the median age in this African country is only 27,6 (compared to 40,4 in the UK).
Second, a large proportion of the documented cases concern vaccinated people. Because the role of the vaccine is to reduce the risk of a severe course of COVID-19, no wonder that the course of their infection is mild and they do not require medical intervention. This is one of the issues that distinguishes the Omikron from the previous variants (mainly Alpha and Beta, but partly also Delta) – the vaccination rate in the world is incomparably higher than before. The virus therefore has less room for maneuver, and even when it attacks despite being vaccinated, it is less likely to lead to hospitalization or death.
- Also read: COVID-19 in people who are vaccinated. These factors increase the risk of a breakthrough infection
Thirdly, although South Africa has seen more hospital admissions for COVID-19 patients in recent days, this does not mean that all of them were hospitalized due to coronavirus infection. According to the procedures, every person admitted to the facility must be tested for the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, so in some patients it was detected accidentally, often in a mild or asymptomatic form.
Fourth, caution should also be exercised with regard to the higher number of children hospitalized due to Omikron infection. As explained by Vicky Baillie, senior researcher at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Johannesburg, the data comes mainly from an area where many children live in poverty. – They can be malnourished and more than average exposed to infection with the virus – he emphasizes.
- See also: Symptoms of Omicron in children can be atypical
Moreover, most children stay in hospital for two to three days and, as is the case with adults, not all of them go to the facility because of COVID-19infection is detected during pre-hospital testing. It is also worth adding that the percentage of children admitted to hospitals with coronavirus in Gauteng (a province based in Johannesburg) also dropped within a dozen or so days from a high of 14 percent. up to 8 percent
How is Omikron fought abroad?
Experts point out that such a rapid increase in the range of the Omicron does not mean that restrictions for travelers should not be introduced. However, it shows how infectious this variant is and how much importance should be attached to other measures of protection against infection, such as vaccinations, keeping distance, disinfection and wearing a mask at the forefront.
The UK has now placed emphasis on a campaign urging people to take a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Now, more than ever, it is essential that you get your first, second or third dose as soon as possible. Please don’t leave it to chance, ‘London’s regional director of public health, Kevin Fenton, tweeted.
- Check also what restrictions are in force in Poland from December 15? [LIST]
The public reaction surprised the government. After launching a campaign targeting adults eligible for booster admission, the National Health Service website crashed due to massive immunization registrationsand online stores began to run out of tests for the virus.
According to government data, the number of cases of Omicron infection in the UK is doubling every two days. At the same time, the country records records for COVID-19 infections in general – 88 new infections were recently reported in one day, the highest number since the start of the pandemic.
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