Uganda confirmed the first cases of the Omicron variant of SARS-Cov-2. Seven travellers who arrived at Entebbe airport tested positive. A week ago, a traveller from Tanzania tested positive for the Omicron in India.
Data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now shows only one-third of the 43 cases identified in the US had traveled internationally two weeks before testing positive for the Omicron variant. It is, therefore, plausible that Omicron was already spreading in the US. An estimated 1,000 Omicron cases have been reported in 57 countries in nearly all regions of the world.
The discovery of Omicron in South Africa and Botswana prompted hasty response, initially imposing travel from countries in Southern Africa. But since researchers began to look at the data, it is becoming increasingly clear that Omicron had been spreading for several weeks in many countries without detection.
What is the point of the travel bans imposed by nearly 70 countries, which mostly target Southern Africa countries? The emergence of Omicron variant and many more that will inevitably emerge require joined action not wrong-headed isolation. But what do we really know about the Omicron variant so far?
Evidence shows that the variant spreads faster than extant variants. Early data from South Africa suggest that Omicron cases are doubling every two to three days. Moreover, British researchers estimate that the risk of reinfection with Omicron is nearly five times higher than Delta and other variants. Data from South Africa’s Gauteng province shows that Omicron variant causes less severe illness.
The proportion of hospitalised patients who are in ICU or on a ventilator is estimated to be up to 70 per cent lower than experienced with the Delta variant. While mild illness requiring seem to be the hallmark of the Omicron variant, this is not conclusive because currently, young adults account for most of the infections. It is highly likely that older people with co-morbidities that compromise their immunity are at a far higher risk of severe Covid-19 illness.
Breakthrough infections among those who are fully vaccinated have been encountered. Data reveals a huge decline in neutralizing antibodies against Omicron. Antibodies from Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine have been shown to be less successful against Omicron. But booster shots are 75 per cent effective against Omicron.
Furthermore, two doses of AstraZeneca vaccine provide no protection from Omicron. Initial data from Germany, South Africa and Sweden shows vaccinated people with previous infection from extant variants exhibited less decline of neutralising antibodies that protect against SARS-Cov-2 infections.
Vaccination rates remain very low in Africa. Only six out of Africa’s 54 countries have reached the global target of vaccinating 40 per cent of their population by the end of 2021. This leaves hundreds of millions of Africans without protection against existing coronavirus variants and creates a fertile ground for breeding new variants.
African governments must ramp up vaccine campaigns to increase coverage, especially among the elderly. Moreover, as the neutralizing antibodies wane among fully vaccinated individuals there is now urgent need for roll out booster shots.
Views expressed are the writer’s
