Could Omicron Possibly Stretch Our Health Care Systems Too Thin Once Again?

As we were cautiously getting back to pre-covid normalcy, the sudden outbreak of a heavily mutated Omicron variant has shocked the world. Although a sizable chunk of eligible adults have taken at least one dose of vaccination so far, ‘will it be effective against the newly discovered variant?’ is the million-dollar question of the hour.

What is this new Omicron variant:

On 26th November 2021, WHO designated the variant of concern named Omicron by the technical advisory group on SARS-CoV-2. This variant of the coronavirus is believed to be mutated at least 30 times and above on its spike protein. The first case was reported in South Africa two days earlier. The variant has also been reported in other countries globally including the European region. WHO is working on it to understand its potential impact and the preventive measures needed including the vaccines. The current vaccine is said to prevent the severities of all the COVID-19 variants. However, this belief has come to a toss now with the outbreak of the new Omicron variant.

WHO warns of very high Global risk due to Omicron:

WHO urges to ramp up surveillance, community testing to check SARS-CoV-2s prevalence and its mutations. The omicron variant is potentially believed to be 6 times highly transmissible than its predecessors. Following this, many countries are revisiting their travel advisories and some have gone to the extent of imposing travel bans too. WHO has classified omicron as a variant of concern (VOC) and is likely to give us clear information on this variant in a fortnight.

Where does the Omicron variant have been identified so far:

Although the first few hundred cases were reported in South Africa, some of the other countries in which Omicron is believed to have penetrated are the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Denmark, Botswana, Australia, Belgium, Italy, Canada, France, Israel, and the United Kingdom. No deaths have been reported so far but this variant is speculated to put the whole health care system into play once more. Increasing cases and chances of severity calls for the healthcare systems to be extremely vigilant and feasible. It may also lead to morbidity and mortality is what’s been speculated. Its impact on the vulnerable communities may be substantial especially in countries with low vaccination rates. WHO has stressed the need for vaccinating quickly particularly for the vulnerable population. They also urged countries to strengthen their health care system. Not to undermine the role of family caregivers in treating, supporting, and providing for the covid infected individuals.

Details on travel bans and restrictions:

As omicron was declared as a VOC on November 26th 2021, studies are underway to get a better understanding of the spread of this variant. It is said to be highly divergent and some are associated with immune escape potential and are highly transmissible. With respect to this several countries have imposed travel bans already. The countries from the UK, United States, Canada, Japan, Russia, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the European Union have activated travel bans against those who come from South Africa.

2 years into the pandemic and the story is not over yet:

The pandemic has turned the tables for the entire world and when it is believed to finally see the dawn, the new variants take over and bring everything back to square one. What’s left with us currently are loads of vaccinations and a good old saying ‘this too shall pass’. Therefore, getting vaccinated is the best way to stay protected against COVID-19. So, I’d encourage everyone to get vaccinated and also receive booster doses whenever possible.

Is it possible to catch Covid after 2 vaccines?

Most likely. Folks after receiving 2 doses of vaccination are still bound to be affected with this variant. The vaccine is not 100% protective but could potentially mitigate the severity of this virus in our immune system. The vaccine is believed to be definitely protective against getting fatal.

Will there be an evolution of new COVID-19 variants?

Most likely. As far as it is concerned there will be more new coronavirus variants. As long as it spreads through the population, the mutations will continue to happen. The whole delta variant family continues to evolve as the new variants are detected week after week. Hence the COVID-19 vaccines work to prevent severe illness, being hospitalized, and death. It works well against the widely spread Delta variant.

Prevention:

Omicron has been detected in several countries and travel bans have also been implemented in various regions. We do not know how this variant responds to the treatment. But all we have is the Vaccine. Thus, the omicron variant highlights the importance of inoculation and taking the booster shots as recommended. Individuals are asked to take preventive measures to reduce the risk of COVID-19. Social measures should be taken such as wearing well-fitted masks, physical distancing, hand hygiene, increased indoor ventilation, avoiding crowded areas and finally getting vaccinated. The pandemic is not over yet and everyone has to keep this in mind. We can overcome this virus only if we tend to work together to drive solutions.