COVID: Omicron variant spreading at unprecedented rate, says WHO
The World Health Organization has warned that the coronavirus variant Omicron was spreading at a rate not seen with previous strains and was likely present in most countries.
Covid surge is gripping New York City ahead of the holidays: ‘We’ve never seen this before’
CDC data shows that omicron is spreading fastest in New York and New Jersey.
On Dec. 12, the Covid-19 test positivity rate in the city was 7.8%, up from 3.9% just three days before, according to Dr. Jay Varma, a top health advisor to Mayor Bill de Blasio.
WHO says Omicron in 89 countries and spreading rapidly
The Omicron coronavirus variant has been reported in 89 countries and the number of cases is doubling in 1.5 to three days in areas with community transmission, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.
Omicron spreading ‘significantly faster’ than Delta – WHO: Live
WHO chief warns of reinfection from COVID as the US health authorities say Omicron variant now accounts for 73.2 percent of new cases.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said the Omicron variant of the coronavirus is spreading faster than the Delta variant and is causing infections in people already vaccinated or who have recovered from the COVID-19 disease.
Fauci: Omicron ‘raging through the world’ and travel increases Covid risks
The Omicron variant of Covid-19 has “extraordinary spreading capabilities”, the top US infectious diseases expert said on Sunday, and promises to bring a bleak winter as it continues “raging through the world”.
Covid-19: Four new Omicron cases detected in Sarawak TheEdge Fri, Dec 24, 2021 03:23pm - 16 minutes
KUCHING (Dec 24): A total of four cases of the B.1.1.529 or Omicron Covid-19 variant have been detected in Sarawak, according to Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) Institute of Health and Community Medicine director Prof David Perera.
He said two of the cases were reported in Bintulu, involving a 52-year-old man who returned from Nigeria and underwent a swab test on Dec 19, following by a 19-year-old male returning from the UK who did a swab test on Dec 14.
“Another two cases were detected in Kuching. One involved a 25-year-old female who returned from the UK and had a swab test on Dec 22, while the fourth case was a female with no recent history of travel, which suggests possibility of local transmission,” he said in a statement on Friday (Dec 24).
Dr Parera, who is a member the Sarawak Covid-19 Advisory Group, said in light of possible local transmission of the highly transmissible Omicron variant in the community, the general public are urged to be extremely cautious during the festive season and year-end holidays.
He also advised the public to immediately get their booster shot if they had not done so as studies had shown that the shot is necessary to boost the waning neutralising antibody level to protect from Omicron infection.
“Public health SOPs (standard operating procedures) need to be strictly adhered to and gatherings avoided if possible to prevent further community spread,” he added.
On Dec 18, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah in a statement said two Covid-19 cases of the Omicron variant were recorded in Sarawak on Dec 17, involving two travellers, one originating from the UK and the other from the US.
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I am writing this to the extensive aunty and uncle networks that flourish via WhatsApp and Telegram groups. I am sure all of you are aware of the Omicron variant, but may have a limited picture of what to expect. Allow me to share with you and your networks what we can expect with this variant in Malaysia.
Possible Omicron Wave In Malaysia From January To March 2022
The current detected cases of Omicron in the country may appear low, but we must realise that our genome testing is very limited (0.25 per cent of cases), compared to countries of our level of development.
If you look carefully at the data, you will see a steep rise in the number of infections in imported cases. Most of these are probably the Omicron variant. It is very likely, in many countries, including Singapore, that Omicron is beginning to spread locally in the community.
As we know from good data, Omicron spreads very fast and has a rapid doubling time of 1.5 to 2.5 days. This means that small numbers can rapidly escalate in a short time.
Note that the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) has already predicted a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases in Malaysia due to the Omicron variant, with a peak happening in January 2022.
Looking at what has happened in other countries, especially South Africa and the United Kingdom, Malaysia can expect a sharp rise in cases in the next one to three months, but we hope this will be short-lived.
How Will Omicron Impact Our Health?
What we know so far from the available data is that Omicron causes breakthrough infections more easily for those who are vaccinated, and appears to be less severe, but we have no idea of the risk of long Covid.
The latest technical briefing from Public Health England has data that offers better estimates of vaccine effectiveness (VE) against getting infected. To summarise:
Two doses of Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines do not protect against the Omicron variant three to four months after vaccination (unlike with Delta). For those who received Pfizer vaccines, another Pfizer booster dose pushed up protection initially, but this dropped to about 45 per cent after 10 weeks. For those who received AstraZeneca vaccines, a Pfizer booster dose pushed up protection initially, but this dropped to about 35 per cent after 10 weeks. Boosting Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine recipients with a Moderna vaccine produced better results. This data suggests that anyone can get infected despite being vaccinated, and that boosters have a moderate effect in reducing infection. Vaccines can reduce hospitalisation.
Note that VE against hospitalisation was not shown, which is of more value and importance to us. South African data suggested that hospitalisation was reduced significantly when one is infected with Omicron compared to Delta, but we must realise that their population has lower vaccination rates and higher natural immunity from extensive Covid-19 spread.
A detailed analysis of UK data by the Imperial College London suggests a 40 to 45 per cent reduction in hospitalisation risk when compared to the Delta variant.
This data suggests that Omicron is less severe, but bear in mind that being so much more infective means that it still can put many people in hospital.
What about the Sinovac vaccine and Omicron? There is no real-world data, unlike Pfizer and AstraZeneca, and we have to rely on laboratory antibody studies, which may not reflect what will happen.
Studies from the University of Hong Kong showed that two doses of Sinovac produced insufficient antibodies against Omicron. This was also the case for a Sinovac booster dose. The University of Hong Kong team recommended that Sinovac vaccine recipients receive a Pfizer booster dose.
In summary, Omicron will infect many of us, some of us will be hospitalised, and certain vaccine boosters offer protection. We have no idea at present of Omicron’s long Covid risk but experts in the United States do not expect it “to be any different than previous variants”.
What Are The Concerns For The Health Care System And Society?
The concern of a new Covid-19 wave will put stress on our health care system. Health care workers are beyond the point of exhaustion, and ICU beds are limited. Another wave will increase bed usage, put additional strain on the system, and limit health care for other medical conditions.
We should also worry about our children, especially those aged below 12. They are unprotected and will be difficult to shield from the very infectious Omicron variant.
Their schooling may be disrupted again. We need to seriously consider using the Pfizer vaccine, originally meant for teenagers and adults, at a smaller dose for children aged 5 to 11, as well as improve classroom ventilation.
What Can We Do to Improve Our Protection (Reduce Our Risk)?
None of us are looking forward to any form of a lockdown, as it will further harm the poor, the economy, and the mental health of all. In medicine, we often talk about a return to
WHO says Omicron risk ‘very high’; Europe faces COVID surge: Live
France, UK, Italy, Greece, and Portugal all hit record daily infections, with France reporting almost 180,000 cases.
The risk posed by the Omicron variant is still “very high”, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday, after COVID-19 case numbers shot up by 11 percent globally last week.
The seven-day average of U.S. cases topped 267,000 on Tuesday, with Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia particularly hard hit. The C.D.C. lowered its estimate of Omicron’s prevalence in the U.S.
Coronavirus digest: Global cases surge due to omicron
Much of Europe, the US and even Australia are logging record COVID caseloads as the omicron variant spreads. The WHO has warned that the variant still posed a "very high" risk.
UK COVID cases soar to new daily record of 183,037
France, Italy and Greece also reported record daily highs as WHO warned of COVID ‘tsunami’.
The risk posed by the Omicron variant is still “very high”, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said, after COVID-19 case numbers shot up by 11 percent globally last week.
Omicron will soon replace Delta as dominant global Covid variant: Experts
Experts in Singapore, where 170 new Omicron cases were reported on Wednesday, have warned that the new and supposedly more contagious variant is likely to replace Delta over the coming weeks to months
US sets new record for daily Covid cases as Omicron spreads across country
The United States set a new record for daily infections of Covid-19 after reporting almost half a million positive cases as the surge of the Omicron variant spreads across the country.
Omicron surge is 'unlike anything we've ever seen,' expert says
(CNN)An unprecedented spike in Covid-19 cases fueled by the fast-moving Omicron variant is crushing hospitals across the United States, with doctors describing packed emergency rooms as health experts implore New Year's Eve revelers to keep parties small and outdoors to help avert an even worse surge.
WHO warns new Covid variants could emerge that are fully resistant to vaccines as pandemic drags on
The World Health Organization warned that new coronavirus variants could emerge during the pandemic that render current vaccines useless.
“It’s possible that new variants could evade our countermeasures and become fully resistant to current vaccines or past infection, necessitating vaccine adaptations,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
Reactionary political movements fostered vaccine inequity and “created the ideal conditions for the emergence of new variants,” he said.
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