The Covid-19 is a pandemic that never ceases to give.
One might have thought that with Omicron, it had delivered the deadliest from its quiver. Not quite. A mutant variant of Omicron BA.2 could end the decline in new infections globally.
While the BA. 2 mutation is spreading rapidly, scientist say it does not cause more severe illness and extant vaccines are effective against it. The implication of the new more infectious BA.2 is that we will see higher surges where peak infections have not been attained. In places where one might expect a slowdown in infections, we might experience a rather long steady state in new infections.
If you are wondering what BA.2 is all about, here is a quick explainer.
The Omicron name was given to the B.1.1. 529 variant of SARS-CoV-2 virus that cause the Covid-19 disease. Later it was confirmed that had three sub-variants, which were named B.1.1. 529.1, B.1.1. 529.2 and B.1.1. 529.3. For ease of reference these were identified as BA.1, BA.2 and BA.3.
WHO reports that an increasing number of countries have reported a surge in BA.2 sub-variant in the last week. The increase in the proportion of the BA.2 has been prominent in Europe, especially in Denmark, where it makes more than 50 per cent of new infections, according to the Statens Serum Institut.
Norway and Sweden have also reported soaring cases of the BA.2 sub-variant. A recent survey in Britain confirms that BA. 2 is more transmissible and could make up a higher proportion of new Omicron infections. The BA.2 has now been reported in 49 countries, including the US and Singapore.
As infections hit record high numbers in Denmark, where over 80 per cent of the population is vaccinated, the government will end all restrictions and declare Covid-19 as disease that no longer poses a threat to society. There is emerging consensus in Europe that we should start thinking of Covid-19 as an endemic disease, not a pandemic. However, according to WHO it is too early to be complacent. We are not out of the woods yet.
The frustration among citizens and even governments, especially in Europe and North America, and other countries where vaccination rates are high is understandable. In their view, victory was achieved when the first vaccines were rolled out. But clearly in the global fight against Covid-19, if we assume that that was even a plausible and shared goal, vaccines do not constitute mission accomplished. Vaccines are only a means to the mission. The mission in the fight against Covid-19 globally is vaccination: Shots in the arms of people everywhere; young and old.
Victory against Covid-19, and all its variants, remains a mirage. The mission is eminently unaccomplished. We cannot be complacent because less than 5 percent of the 10 billion doses administered globally have been given to Africans.
One unvaccinated person anywhere is threat to global health security everywhere. Universal vaccination must remain the singular moral mission in the fight against Covid-19.
The views expressed are the writer’s
