Covid-19 was first reported on December 31, 2019, and ever since then several strains and vaccines have been made. And just when it seems like the world is getting a break from COVID-19, this new strain shows up.
A lot is yet to be known about the Omicron variant however a few cases have been known to occur in some countries that have raised an alarm.
The Omicron COVID-19 strain was first discovered in South Africa and the cases have increased by more than 300 percent in this week according to WHO.
According to the government data of Gauteng in South Africa, 580 hospitalizations have been recorded due to the virus this week and up to 135 have been reported in the last two weeks.
The South African Government data also revealed that just under 40% of the province’s 12 million citizens have had at least one COVID-19 vaccination shot.
The new Omicron variant was however sequenced in 77 cases in the region last week, and many worry it is the virus’s most infectious strain yet, and that it has the largest number of mutations which means it will be easy for it to evade vaccine protection despite being vaccinated.
On Sunday, Ontario confirmed two cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in Ottawa, both of which were reported in individuals with recent travel from Nigeria.
Quebec’s health minister also announced on Monday, November 29, 2021, that the province has discovered its first case of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, bringing the total number of cases in Canada to three.
The public health agency of Sweden as of Monday, November 29, had also reported a case of Omicron variant.
With these cases coming to light some countries are already reacting in panic and have started closing their borders.
As of today November 30, 2021, about 69 countries have closed their borders: Angola, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Cyprus, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States and the European Union member states.
However, following WHO’s report yesterday, it is not yet clear whether Omicron is more transmissible, i.e. more easily spread from person to person as compared to other variants.
They however revealed that there has been currently no information that suggests that symptoms associated with Omicron are different from those of other variants.
Evidence suggests there might be an increased risk and chance of reinfection with Omicron, especially for those who had previously had Covid-19 as compared with other variants.
WHO reveals that they are working to ensure that they understand the virus and are currently checking that all the other test methods used initially for other Covid-19 cases can be used in this case as well.
They however gave some recommendations on how to handle the situation at hand.
WHO stated that Individuals can reduce the spread of the Covid-19 virus by maintaining a physical distance of at least 1 metre from others and also ensuring that they wear a well-fitting mask.
Windows should be opened to improve ventilation and people should avoid poorly ventilated or crowded spaces.
Others should ensure that they keep their hands clean as well as cough and sneeze into a bent elbow or tissue.
Above all people should get vaccinated when their turn comes.
While reacting to the new variant strain, however, the Nigerian government revealed through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) that the lethal omicron strain of the coronavirus is yet to be found in Nigeria.
This was stated in a statement on Sunday, by the organization’s Director-General, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, who asked Nigerians to get vaccinated and to follow the Covid-19 health advisory to prevent the spread of the more lethal Covid-19 strain.
With very little known about the new strain, the best-case scenario will be prevention. They say prevention is better than cure so ensure you wear a face mask as it is very essential at all points.
