Soumya Swaminathan says there may not be a need for another vaccine for Omicron.
The World Health Organization’s chief scientist told Reuters at its next conference on Friday that the Omicron variant could become dominant because it is highly transmissible, but may not require a vaccine. -please other.
Soumya Swaminathan also said it was too early to say whether Omicron was milder than other variants of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 and cast doubt on its origin, saying it was far from certain that it appeared in the region. south africa.
“It could very well become the dominant[variant],” Swaminathan said, adding that it is unpredictable. She said that the Delta variant now accounts for 99% of infections globally.
Scientists in the European Union and Australia are forecasting that Omicron could cause more infections than Delta within the next few months.
She said Omicron was “highly transmissible” and cited data from South Africa showing cases doubling daily.
“How worried should we be? We need to be prepared and cautious, not panic, because we’re in a different situation than we were a year ago,” Swaminathan said in an interview.
She said the WHO cannot say that Omicron is a mild variant at this stage, even if many infections to date have been associated with less severe symptoms or no symptoms at all.
There is still no conclusive evidence on the impact of Omicron on antibody efficacy.
“It appears to be able to overcome some of the natural immunity from a previous infection, but adds that the vaccine seems to work,” said the world health agency’s top scientist. .
“The fact that they don’t get sick … that means that vaccines are still providing protection and we hope that they will continue to provide protection,” Swaminathan said.
VACCINE AGAINST ALL SOURCE?
Swaminathan is cautious about the need to upgrade existing vaccines, noting that boosting existing shots may be sufficient against Omicron.
“Maybe the vaccine will work,” she said. “You may need an extra dose at first to boost the immune response.”
A WHO technical advisory group is trying to figure out whether a new vaccine is needed against Omicron, she added.
Speaking to Reuters Next earlier in the day, BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin said his company should be able to adapt its vaccine relatively quickly in response to Omicron and in the next few weeks will show the need to How to upgrade urgently.
“I believe in principle at a certain point we will need a new vaccine against this new variant,” Sahin said.
When asked about the need for annual vaccinations, Swaminathan said “WHO is preparing for all scenarios”, which may include an additional dose, especially in certain age groups or segments of the population. vulnerable populations.
But she adds: “Natural infection acts as a booster.”
Origin unknown
Swaminathan, a qualified pediatrician from India, cast doubt on the origin of the new variant, which was first detected in southern Africa, where the highest number of cases is also being reported. record.
“Where did it come from? We don’t know,” she said, noting that it could have originated in countries that don’t have enough genome sequences.
“We may never know.”
Swaminathan said that several countries’ aircraft bans targeting southern Africa were unfair, adding that the variant had been identified in South Africa “because of the excellent genetic sequencing and surveillance process.” great” there.
“We feel terrible that they were punished for that.”
The WHO said travel restrictions could buy time but were not the way to combat the Omicron variant, urging countries to strengthen their capacity to health care and vaccinate their populations.
Swaminathan also called for greater equity in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and testing.
When asked if the Omicron variant might not have emerged if Africa had received and received more vaccines, she said: “Absolutely.”
“There is a clear relationship between inequality in access to vaccines and the development of variants,” says Swaminathan.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from an aggregated feed.)
