London, November 28 (BNA): South African scientists have identified a new version of the coronavirus that they say is behind the recent surge in COVID-19 infections in Gauteng, the country’s most populous province.
It’s unclear where the new variant first emerged from, but scientists in South Africa have alerted the World Health Organization in recent days, and it has now been seen in travelers coming to many countries, from Australia to Israel to the Netherlands.
On Friday, the World Health Organization classified it as a “variable of concern”, naming it “omicron” after a letter in the Greek alphabet.
What do we know about OMICRON?
Health Minister Joe Bhalla said the variable was linked to the “huge rise” of cases in the past few days.
From more than 200 new confirmed cases per day in recent weeks, South Africa saw the number of new daily cases rise to more than 3,200 on Saturday, most of them in Gauteng.
Scientists have struggled to explain the sudden rise in cases, and scientists have studied virus samples and discovered a new variant. Now, up to 90% of new cases in Gauteng are caused by it, according to Tulio de Oliveira, director of the KwaZulu-Natal platform for research innovation and sequencing.
Why are scientists concerned about this new alternative?
After a group of experts met to assess the data, the World Health Organization said that “preliminary evidence indicates an increased risk of reinfection with this variant”, compared to other variables.
This means that people who have had COVID-19 and recover may have it again.
The variant appears to contain a large number of mutations – about 30 – in the spike protein of the coronavirus, which could affect how easily it spreads to people.
Sharon Peacock, who led the genetic sequencing of COVID-19 in Britain at the University of Cambridge, said the data so far suggested the new variant contained mutations “consistent with improved transmissibility”, but said that “the significance of many of the mutations is still not.” a favour “.
Lawrence Young, a virologist at the University of Warwick, described Omicron as “the most mutated version of the virus we’ve seen,” including potentially troubling changes we’ve never seen before in the same virus.
What is known and unknown about the variable?
Scientists know that omicron is genetically different from previous variants including beta and delta variants, but they don’t know if these genetic changes make it more transmissible or dangerous. So far, there is no indication that the variant causes more serious disease.
It will likely take weeks to sort out whether Ommicron is more contagious and whether the vaccines are still effective against it.
Peter Openshaw, professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London, said it was “extremely unlikely” that current vaccines would not work, noting that they are effective against many other variants.
Although some genetic changes in the omicron appear worrying, it remains unclear whether they would pose a threat to public health. Some of the earlier variables, such as the beta variable, bothered the scientists at first but eventually didn’t end up being so much.
To date, delta is the most prevalent form of COVID-19, accounting for more than 99% of sequences submitted to the world’s largest public database.
How did this new variable arise?
The coronavirus mutates as it spreads and many new variants, including those with worrisome genetic changes, often die. Scientists are watching the sequence of COVID-19 for mutations that could make the disease more transmissible or fatal, but they can’t tell just by looking at the virus.
The variant “may have evolved in an infected person but was then unable to eliminate the virus, giving the virus a chance to evolve genetically,” Peacock said, in a scenario similar to how experts think of the alpha variant – which was first identified in England – also emerged. , by a mutation in an immunocompromised person.
insult