Omicron Spreads Faster, Vaccines Less Effective, Says WHO

The variant COVID-19 coronavirus omicron seems to spread more than delta, with milder symptoms, weighing down the action of vaccines, indicated this Sunday the WHO, which stressed that these data are preliminary.

Ómicron was present in 63 countries as of December 9, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported in a technical update confirming the statements of its officials in recent days.

According to the WHO, omicron seems to spread faster than the delta variant, which until now is responsible for the majority of infections in the world.

This faster advance is not exclusive to South Africa, where delta is less prevalent, but also in the UK, where delta is dominant.

But for the moment, the lack of more information prevents us from affirming whether the omicron transmission rate is due to the fact that it manages to circumvent immunity, because its characteristics make it more contagious or a combination of both factors.

The WHO projected that “omicron surpasses Delta in the places where there is community transmission”.

The data are still insufficient to establish the level of severity of the clinical picture causing omicron, even if at the moment the symptoms appear to be “mild to moderate” in both southern Africa and Europe.

With regard to vaccines, the few data available suggest that omicron’s genetic profile “lowers efficacy with respect to protection from contagion.”

Manufacturer Pfizer / BioNTech indicated last week that a three-dose vaccination schedule remains “effective” against omicron.

Countries that have the means are encouraging the population to receive a third dose.

This is the case in Europe where there is a new wave of infections caused by the irruption of the delta, the abandonment of prevention measures and the low vaccination rates in some countries.

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