Category: Corona Virus

(PolitiFact)

Americans, already weary of a nearly two-years-long pandemic, were dealt a new blow during the long Thanksgiving weekend with the announcement that a new coronavirus variant had emerged.

The omicron variant, officially known as B.1.1.529, first surfaced in November in several southern African nations. The new variant set off alarm bells worldwide when public health officials in South Africa saw it beginning to outcompete the previous reigning variant, delta. This suggested that omicron could eventually spread widely. Indeed, omicron has since been reported on multiple continents, likely due to international travel by people who were unknowingly infected.

After the emergence of omicron was announced, several nations imposed travel bans in an effort to contain the virus. But its unclear how effective those bans will be in slowing the spread. Travel bans dont help once the horse is already out of the barn, as weve seen before and are seeing now, said Tara Smith, a Kent State University epidemiologist.

Scientists caution that its still too early to say whether omicron will prove to be as dangerous as delta. Other variants that initially seemed worrisome have flamed out.

For now, heres what we know, and dont know, about the omicron variant.

What is a variant?

A variant of a virus is one that has mutated in a way that bolsters its spread or severity compared with the original strain that emerged in Wuhan, China. RNA viruses like the coronavirus can mutate when they replicate, especially when circulating at high rates, said Dr. Monica Gandhi, professor of medicine at the University of California-San Francisco.

Coronavirusesdo not mutate as readilyas influenza viruses do, but they do mutate over time. The different variants generally produce the same range of symptoms as the original strain of the coronavirus. But the mutations may help the virus spread more effectively from person to person, or have an advantage in sneaking past either natural or vaccine immunity.

What variants were already circulating in the United States?

To date, public health officialshave notedfive variants of concern, plus two other variants of interest that are not yet considered as worrisome as the variants of concern. Theres also the most worrisome of the three official categories variants of high consequence but no variants of this type have emerged so far.

The World Health Organization decided earlier this year to to name the variants after Greek letters, both to simplify discussion and to limit the stigma from having a variant named for a country.

The first four variants of concern alpha, beta, gamma, and delta have been circulating in the United States for most of this year. But for much of 2021, the most dominant variant has been delta, due to its ability to spread from person to person more quickly than other variants. For months, delta hasaccounted formore than 99% of coronavirus infections in the U.S.

There were no confirmed cases of omicron in the United States as of mid-day Nov. 29, but experts say its just a matter of time. It could be in the U.S. already, though as yet undetected.

How did omicron emerge?

Scientists arent sure precisely where omicron first surfaced, but it was most likely in southern Africa, where it was first detected.

Experts say that low vaccination rates in that part of the world probably played a role in creating a favorable environment for the mutations that produced omicron. (It can bepronouncedeither AH-mi-crahn or OH-mi-crahn.)

Many countries in Africa have populations with very low immunity about 30% in South Africa are vaccinated, Smith said. In a largely non-immune population, the virus can sweep through, and each new person infected is a chance for the virus to mutate.

Why did public health officials react so urgently to omicron?

The concern stems from the scope and nature of the mutations on the new variant. South African health officials noted 50 notable mutations, 30 of which are on the spike protein, a key structure in the virus,New York magazine reported. Thats more than previous variants have had.

If we were looking out for mutations that do affect transmissibility, its got all of them, University of Oxford evolutionary biologistAris Katzourakis told Science magazine.

Still, whats uncertain at this point is how effectively those mutations will work together in creating a variant that can consistently outcompete delta.

What do we know about omicrons degree of infectiousness?

The omicron variant is so new that scientists are just beginning to learn about its characteristics. Because of this, experts urge caution in drawing conclusions, especially from anecdotal evidence.

That said, scientists say they would not be shocked if omicron becomes as easily transmissible as delta.

The answer is uncertain, of course, but it looks as though it will be at least as infectious as delta, said Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

One complicating factor, Schaffner said, is that the initial areas of fastest spread have been in areas of Johannesburg populated by young adults and college students, who tend to have lower vaccination rates. The vulnerability of these groups to infection may be exaggerating how rapidly omicron seems to be spreading.

What do we know about whether omicron makes patients sicker?

The early evidence is somewhat conflicting, but there are signs that symptoms from omicron may not be more severe than previous variants. Dr. Angelique Coetzee, chair of the South African Medical Association, has said that the early cases being seen among theunvaccinated are mild.

It remains to be seen, however, whether older and unhealthier patients will also see milder symptoms. Another caveat is that it may be too early in omicrons spread to see cases that have progressed to a more serious point.

What do we know about whether existing vaccines will be effective against the omicron variant?

Scientists are cautiously optimistic that existing vaccines will also be effective against omicron, just as they have been against delta, at least in being able to prevent illness severe enough to require hospitalization.

Scientists in South Africa and Israel, where the variant has also been detected, have indicated thatthey are not seeing severe disease among the vaccinated, Gandhi said.

Gandhi added that the immunity-providing B-cells produced by the vaccineshave been shown to produce antibodies against variants, and that T-cell immunity, which protects against severe disease,is robustand should not be at risk from the mutations being seen in omicron. The vaccines also producepolyclonal antibodiesthat work against multiple parts of the spike protein, she said. Finally, booster shots now being administered have been shown to be effective in strengthening immunity quickly.

Most scientists believe we should still have protection against severe disease with vaccinations, and vaccination remains the mainstay of control, Gandhi said.

Bottom line: If you havent been vaccinated, and especially if you havent had the disease yet, get vaccinated. And if youve already been vaccinated, get a booster.

How long will it be before we have a better handle on the threat from omicron?

Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson areall testing the effectiveness of their existing vaccines against omicronin the lab, based on variant-analysis protocols developed early in 2021. Those results should be available in the next week or two.

Some of the other questions including whether omicron makes you sicker, and whether its more transmissible will take longer to answer because they require careful contact tracing and accurate diagnoses of those infected.

To better answer those questions, Smith said, I think at a minimum, it will take a month to get some preliminary data, and quite possibly longer to really know the fuller picture. We also wont know about real-world experience in vaccine breakthroughs until that time.

Can we expect a specific new booster to be developed for omicron?

Its not at all certain that the omicron variant will require a reformulated booster. A newly formulated booster wasnt necessary for delta, because researchers determined that the existing formulation was still effective.

That said, vaccine makers can jump in with a new booster quickly if they have to.

In the event that vaccine-escape variant emerges, Pfizer and BioNTech expect to be able to develop and produce a tailor-made vaccine against that variant in approximately 100 days, subject to regulatory approval, a Pfizer spokespersontold the Washington Post.

Dr. Matthew Laurens, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, said hes confident boosters could be developed and tested quickly if needed, likely within a few months.

What happened to the other variants?

Between May 2021, when delta was named a variant of concern, and November 2021, when omicron was given the same label, two other variants were elevated to the lower variant of interest status: lambda from Peru and mu from Colombia. Other variants, such as one discovered in Nepal called delta-plus, attracted notice during that period as well. But none of these managed to outcompete delta in a consistent way, so they were never elevated to variant of concern.

This is the most hopeful outcome for omicron. The other variants all had similar concerns around them, but they didnt expand to any significant degree after the initial reporting, Gandhi said.

Is it reasonable to think the U.S. is in a better position to handle omicron than it was for delta?

Experts generally agreed that the United States should be better prepared to battle omicron than it was when delta emerged earlier this year.

We are in a much better position, since we have higher rates of vaccination, the availability of boosters for everyone over 18, and vaccine eligibility down to 5 years old, Gandhi said. We also have higher rates of natural immunity in this country due to the delta variants spread since July 2021. And we haveoral antiviral therapeuticson the horizon. So we have the tools to fight this new variant.

The challenge, Schaffner said, will be to make sure that Americans continue to get vaccinated and boosted, and to make use of testing and maintain safe behavior in public.

All these tools are available, he said. The big question is how inclined the general public is to use these tools.

Is the coronavirus going to be around permanently, like the flu?

Experts now believe its unlikely that the coronavirus will either be eradicated from the globe, like smallpox has been, or even eliminated in the United States, as polio was following near-universal vaccination. The combination of rapid mutations and too-low vaccination rates make it likely that COVID-19 wont follow smallpox and polio into submission.

This will more likely be the influenza model, where we have to track mutations annually and alter the boosters accordingly, Schaffner said. In fact, he said, efforts to create combined coronavirus-flu shots are already under way.

USA Today, Omicron, the newest coronavirus variant: How to pronounce it, how it got its Greek name, and what it means, Nov. 29, 2021

New York magazine, What We Do and Dont Know About the Omicron Variant, Nov. 29, 2021

Washington Post, What to know about the omicron variant of the coronavirus, updated Nov. 29, 2021

The Atlantic, We Know Almost Nothing About the Omicron Variant, Nov. 27, 2021

The Atlantic, The New COVID Drugs Are a Bigger Deal Than People Realize, Nov. 29, 2021

Reuters, Explainer: How worried should we be about the Omicron variant? Nov. 27, 2021

Science magazine, Patience is crucial: Why we wont know for weeks how dangerous Omicron is, Nov. 27, 2021

Science magazine,mRNA vaccines induce durable immune memory to SARS-CoV-2 and variants of concern, Oct. 14, 2021

Cell Host & Microbe, SARS-CoV-2 human T cell epitopes: Adaptive immune response against COVID-19, July 14, 2021

Immunity, A vaccine-induced public antibody protects against SARS-CoV-2 and emerging variants, Sept. 14, 2021

The Telegraph, South African doctor who raised alarm about omicron variant says symptoms are unusual but mild, Nov. 27, 2021

Times of Israel, S. African expert downplays threat from Omicron: We wont have a severe epidemic, Nov. 26, 2021

PolitiFact, The coronavirus variants: What you need to know, July 7, 2021

Email interview with Matthew Laurens, pediatric infectious disease specialist at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Nov. 29, 2021

Email interview with Tara Smith, Kent State University epidemiologist. Nov. 29, 2021

Email interview with Monica Gandhi, professor of medicine at the University of California-San Francisco, Nov. 29, 2021

Interview with William Schaffner, professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nov. 29, 2021

Related

Follow this link:

Omicron and other coronavirus variants: What you need to know - Wink News

Few if any teams in the NFL were hit as hard by the Coronavirus as the New England Patriots last year. While they luckily did not have any serious cases within their organization, their team still was impacted quite a bit.

Not only did a league-high eight of their players decide to opt out before the season including defensive cornerstones Donta Hightower and Patrick Chung the team also was challenged repeatedly during the years. One of their games had to be rescheduled, while core players such as quarterback Cam Newton or cornerback Stephon spent time on the newly created Covid-19 reserve list.

In total, 19 of New Englands players either opted out due to the Coronavirus or spent time on the Covid-19 list. In part due to the issues caused by the pandemic, the Patriots went just 7-9 for their first losing season in almost 20 years.

Fast forward one year and the situation as a whole is a much more comfortable one for the Patriots. The vaccine has helped limit the impact the virus has on the NFL season as a whole, while New England did not experience any opt-outs this time around.

That being said, the disruptive power of Covid-19 is still on full display, and the Patriots experienced it just this week: starting safety Kyle Dugger and reserve running back J.J. Taylor were sent to the reserve list within three days of each other.

Dugger and Taylor are not the first Patriots to miss time under the leagues Coronavirus protocols this year. Offensive linemen Isaiah Wynn and Michael Onwenu, for example, also had to be moved to Reserve/Covid-19 in October. Both had to miss their teams game against the Houston Texans as a result.

Over the summer, quarterback Cam Newton missed three training camp practices including one joint session with the New York Giants due to an apparent misunderstanding of protocols: Newton left Massachusetts for a club-approved medical appointment, becoming subject to the five-day reentry period for unvaccinated players.

Newtons absence allowed rookie Mac Jones to get an extended look with the starting unit. A few days later, the incumbent starter was released with Jones taking over as New Englands new QB1.

The Patriots coaching staff was also not immune to Coronavirus-related moves: co-offensive line coach Cole Popovich left the team over a disagreement about the leagues protocols and vaccination standards.

Now, Dugger and Taylor have become the latest Patriots confronted with the reality of pro football in a still ongoing pandemic.

Their respective returns will depend on their vaccination status all signs point towards Dugger being vaccinated, making a comeback before the teams Week 13 game against the Buffalo Bills at least theoretically possible but the fact remains: Covid-19 can still have a major impact on a team, even one with as high a vaccination rate as the Patriots.

Continue reading here:

Patriots again experience the disruptive power of Covid-19 - Pats Pulpit

Dr. StephenHoge,president ofModerna, expressed hope the pharmaceutical company's Covid-19 vaccine would deliver the "highest efficacy" against the Omicron variant.

"Our hope, at least in Moderna,is that we're going to continueto see the highest efficacyoverall and continue to see theboosters push that even higher," he said during CNN's town hall tonight.

Hoge was responding to Moderna CEO Stphane Bancel remarks on Tuesday in which he suggested current vaccinesmight struggle with Omicron.

"There is no world, I think, where [the effectiveness] is the same level... we had with [the] Delta [variant]," Bancel said in an interview with the Financial Times. "I think it's going to be a material drop. I just don't know how much because we need to wait for the data. But all the scientists I've talked to... are like, 'This is not going to be good.'"

Hoge took issue with Bancel's word choice, but acknowledged this evening that it is likely the current vaccines could be less effective against Omicron.

The rest is here:

First Omicron case reported in the US: Live updates - CNN

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have passed 262.8 million globally, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of confirmed deaths has now passed 5.21 million. More than 7.99 billion vaccination doses have been administered globally, according to Our World in Data.

China detected 91 domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases with confirmed symptoms on Tuesday, the highest daily count since 2 November.

Australian authorities say they've detected another probable case of the Omicron variant in Sydney.

Serum Institute of India has sent doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Indonesia, in its first export of the Novavax shot through the COVAX vaccine-sharing facility, the Indian government said on Wednesday.

Singapore's COVID-19 vaccination rate has risen to 96% of the eligible population. The city-state has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world.

Nigeria has confirmed its first cases of the Omicron variant in two travellers who arrived from South Africa last week.

Daily new confirmed COVID-19 cases per million people in selected countries.

Image: Our World in Data

The United States, Canada and Hong Kong have all tightened rules around international travel in the wake of the emergence of the Omicron COVID-19 variant.

The US will require all air travellers entering the country to show a negative COVID-19 test performed within one day of departure. Currently, vaccinated travellers can present a negative result within 3 days. Passengers will also be required to test 3-5 days after arrival.

Hong Kong will ban non-residents from entering the city from Japan, Portugal and Sweden from Friday. Residents can only board flights if fully vaccinated and will have to undergo 21-days of quarantine in a hotel at their own cost.

Canada will extend its ban on travellers from southern Africa to also cover those from Nigeria, Malawi and Egypt, health officials said on Tuesday, for a total of 10 countries. Canada will require people arriving by air from all nations except the United States to take a COVID-19 test, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said.

The moves come as the World Health Organization warned that blanket travel bans will not stop the spread of Omicron. The organization urged 'an evidence-informed and risk-based approach' to any measures, including possible screening or quarantine of international travellers.

The COVID Response Alliance for Social Entrepreneurship is a coalition of 85 global leaders, hosted by the World Economic Forum. Its mission: Join hands in support of social entrepreneurs everywhere as vital first responders to the pandemic and as pioneers of a green, inclusive economic reality.

Its COVID Social Enterprise Action Agenda, outlines 25 concrete recommendations for key stakeholder groups, including funders and philanthropists, investors, government institutions, support organizations, and corporations. In January of 2021, its members launched its 2021 Roadmap through which its members will roll out an ambitious set of 21 action projects in 10 areas of work. Including corporate access and policy change in support of a social economy.

For more information see the Alliance website or its impact story here.

A panel of expert advisors to the United States Food and Drug Administration have narrowly voted to recommend the agency authorize Merck's antiviral COVID-19 pill.

If the FDA authorizes the drug, it would be the first at-home treatment for the virus nearly two years into the pandemic. The authorization would likely be limited to patients at high risk of developing severe disease, although the exact population would be defined by the agency.

"COVID-19 is still an emergency situation," said committee member Dr. David Hardy, who voted yes. "There is a need for something like this. This is the first opportunity that an oral outpatient medication for mildly symptomatic to moderately symptomatic persons would be available, although I do have questions about its overall longer-term efficacy."

Merck published data last week suggesting the drug was less effective than previously thought.

Written by

Joe Myers, Writer, Formative Content

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Read more:

COVID-19: Top news stories about the coronavirus pandemic on 1 December | World Economic Forum - World Economic Forum

There is much that's still unknown about this variant, Omicron. While scientists are gathering more information, the public wants to know how worried they should be.

Is the alarm around Omicron warranted? What's already known, and what are the key pieces of information still to be researched? Are there things we can do to prepare for it?

CNN: What raised alarms for scientists about Omicron, compared to other variants?

Dr. Leana Wen: With new variants, there are three key questions to ask. First, is it more transmissible? If it's more contagious, it could displace existing variants and become the dominant strain. This is what happened with the Delta variant.

Second, is it more virulent -- could it cause more severe disease? If so, that's obviously very concerning.

Third, is there what we call "immune escape," meaning does it evade the protection of existing vaccines? The vaccines we have are highly effective against the variants that have already been identified. It's unlikely that a new variant will render the vaccines totally ineffective, but there could be reduction in efficacy.

In the case of Omicron, what initially raised alarms for doctors and scientists in South Africa was the rapid rate of spread of this new variant. It appears to be outcompeting Delta in speed, but whether it will force out Delta and become dominant remains to be seen.

In addition, the large number of this variant's mutations -- over 50 in all -- raises the question of immune escape, both to vaccines and treatments like monoclonal antibodies.

These are types of information that we will need to obtain through further scientific studies.

CNN: What else are researchers looking for, and how long will it take to find this information?

Wen: We need to answer all three questions above. Right now, we suspect this new variant is more transmissible, but that needs to be confirmed. Also, we have no idea about the severity of disease that Omicron causes. This is something we may get more information about in the coming days by tracking the clinical outcomes of the initial individuals found to be infected in southern Africa.

Studies are already ongoing to examine whether the antibodies produced by the vaccines will have an effect against Omicron. Dr. Anthony Fauci and others estimate that these studies will take about two weeks to come back.

There are other key facts that we will find out in the coming days and weeks. Many vaccine researchers believe that those who have received not just the vaccine but the booster will have a very strong antibody response that could cover additional variants. We'll find out whether this is the case by assessing laboratory data and at real-life observations to see if people who are vaccinated and boosted are less likely to be infected with Omicron. In addition, we don't yet know the degree to which recovery from prior Covid-19 infections could protect against Omicron.

There's also the issue of testing and therapeutics. It appears that the PCR tests can readily detect Omicron. Can at-home, rapid antigen tests do this, too? Preliminary review by the Food and Drug Administration suggests they can. Will monoclonal antibodies, as well as the new oral Covid-19 pills, work against Omicron? Scientists are hard at work to find out answers to these questions.

CNN: If there is so much that's unknown about Omicron, aren't countries overreacting by implementing restrictions?

Wen: I don't think so. For so much of the pandemic, we have been playing catch-up, reacting to things that happened instead of proactively preparing. Maybe Omicron will turn out to be a false alarm. Maybe this variant doesn't spread that easily, or doesn't cause severe disease, or doesn't have immune escape. I hope this is the case, but hope is not a strategy.

From a policy perspective, I believe that governments need to prepare for a worst-case scenario. That means alerting clinicians to the possibility of omicron so they know to look for it, preparing hospitals for potentially added capacity, and instructing citizens on what they can do to better protect themselves. President Joe Biden has, for example, urged all adult Americans to get booster shots, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has changed their recommendation so that everyone 18 and older should get boosted.

CNN: Does preparing for the worst also include developing new vaccines that target Omicron?

Wen: Moderna and Pfizer have announced that they are already looking at Omicron-specific vaccines. In general, it's a good thing to be proactive and start this kind of research. My hope is that we will find the vaccines we already have are effective enough against Omicron, especially with the additional protection of the booster dose.

CNN: What do you say to those who are losing hope, who see Omicron as setting us back to square one?

Wen: We are not starting over. Far from it. There is a lot that's different now versus the beginning of the pandemic. We have vaccines, testing and therapeutics. We have infrastructure in place to respond to this variant and future variants. That said, we still need to be on guard and be prepared to deploy the tools we have.

CNN: Many people have travel plans. Should they postpone them?

Wen: If you have international travel plans, I advise you to consider that things are very fluid right now. With so many countries instituting travel bans or additional restrictions, you could end up stuck somewhere in mandatory quarantine or without easy flights out. People who are particularly vulnerable to severe illness might also want to postpone trips, especially with so much unknown about Omicron.

That said, if you are fully vaccinated and boosted, and it's important for you to take the trip, you could still decide to do it. Make sure to check the guidelines for the location you are visiting and your country of origin, and be prepared to change your plans depending on the dynamics of the virus and various government policies.

CNN: Are there things that people can do to prepare for Omicron?

Wen: Know that the same measures that protect against other variants also protect Omicron, in that this is still Covid-19, a respiratory virus. Indoor masking, physical distancing and improved ventilation will reduce the likelihood of spread.

Federal health officials are strongly urging booster doses. Individuals who are unvaccinated should get vaccinated as soon as possible. That includes children who are newly eligible for the vaccines. Those who have been vaccinated and are at least six months out from Pfizer or Moderna or two months out from Johnson & Johnson need to get their booster shots.

We have gone through so much together and made tremendous progress. We can get through this next stage of the pandemic, too, including with this and other variants.

Visit link:

How worried should we be about Omicron, the new coronavirus variant? - CNN

A patient receives a dose of vaccine against Covid-19, in Aristotelous Square, in the center of Thessaloniki on November 26, 2021.

SAKIS MITROLIDIS | AFP | Getty Images

Greece has announced mandatory vaccinations for older age groups from mid-January in an attempt to curb the number of coronavirus infections in the country.

Failure to get a first dose of a coronavirus shot by Jan. 16 for anyone aged 60 or over will result in a monthly fine of 100 euros ($114). The money will go toward the Greek health system.

"It is not a punishment. It is a price of health, but also an act of justice towards the most vaccinated," Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said via Twitter on Tuesday.

Greece reported 7,720 new cases on Tuesday, down from a record high of 8,969on Nov. 9, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

However, the authorities are worried about infections rising further in the runup and during the Christmas holidays. To this effect, they are also stepping up testing capacities.

As of Tuesday, about 62% of the Greek population was fully vaccinated against the virus this is below the EU's average of 66%, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

However, data from the health ministry showed that about 520,000 people over the age of 60 have failed to get a jab so far, according to Reuters. Greece has a population of about 11 million.

Greece's announcement comes at a time when other European nations are also considering compulsory vaccination.

German Chancellor-designate Olaf Scholz said Tuesday that he would like to see mandatory inoculations in the near future. "So I suggest beginning of February or March," he said in an interview, cited by Deutsche Welle.

France and Italy were among the first European nations to impose a mandate that forced health professionals to get vaccinated. Meanwhile, Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg earlier this month announced that Covid vaccination would become mandatory in his country from Feb. 1.

See original here:

Greece imposes monthly fines of 100 euros on the over-60s who refuse a Covid vaccine - CNBC

UC San Diego scientists said Sunday night theyre hustling to find samples of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus to help in the worldwide effort to assess whether it is more transmissible and harmful than earlier versions of the virus.

Its possible that the new variant could be discovered this week in San Diego County through the genetic analysis that UC San Diego is doing on positive coronavirus tests, a campus official said.

The county health department and some hospitals also are conducting such testing.

Its only a matter of time and testing before we find it here, said Dr. Davey Smith, head of infectious diseases at UC San Diego, which was one of the first universities to broadly test students, faculty and staff for COVID-19.

UC San Diego scientists also helped to conduct COVID-19 vaccine trials on behalf of Moderna, Johnson & Johnson nd AstraZeneca, and it has been testing therapeutic drugs on patients.

Scripps Research also said late Sunday that it is geared up to evaluate Omicrons potential threat to public health.

Smith said scientists are just beginning to understand Omicron, but added, The vaccines we have now should work quite well against it. People should be getting vaccinated, and getting their boosters.

UC San Diego has about 8,500 international students, most of whom will resume the fall quarter on Monday. Some of the students traveled back to their home countries during the Thanksgiving break. The university hosts many students from overseas, including the United Kingdom, which has reported Omicron cases.

But campus officials say the school is likely to continue having a tiny infection rate because it will be screening all dorm students for the virus. UC San Diego also has been strongly enforcing social-distancing rules.

Before the start of the Thanksgiving holiday, the infection rate among students who access the campus was 0.22 percent.

But there is a lot of uneasiness about the new variant.

Were hampered by the fact that nothing is yet in the peer reviewed scientific literature, said Robert Chip Schooley, who leads UC San Diegos Return to Learn program.

Ive been in contact with a colleague from Hong Kong that I trust and respect more than anyone in virology. He has been working with the virus in his laboratory and has been observing it epidemiologically.

His take is that it is, indeed, highly contagious but that vaccinated people who become infected have relatively mild (breakthrough-like) symptoms.

Schooley said he believes the virus is more aggressive about shutting down the innate immune response than the Alpha and Delta variants, which he said will allow it to grow to much higher tiers during the pre-symptomatic phase. This, in turn, will result in higher transmissibility and (likely) more severe disease in the unvaccinated, he said

Schooley added, Were not currently planning on changing our policies vis--vis holiday travel but, as with other aspects of our adaptive response posture we will be monitoring the situation on a daily basis and modifying our approach as conditions dictate.

Visit link:

UC San Diego hustling to find Omicron variant of coronavirus to help assess threat to public health - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Its emergence has already led to travel restrictions, high-level government meetings and promises by vaccine makers to start working on strain-specific vaccines just in case.

But it has a long way to go to take over from Delta, the variant that dominates all over the world. And the long list of variants that at first frightened the world before falling off the map can be a reminder that viruses are unpredictable.

Here's a look at the named coronavirus variants.

WHO designates coronavirus variants as either variants of concern -- meaning they look dangerous enough to bear close scrutiny and continual updates -- or as variants of interest, or variants under monitoring. Only five currently meet the definition for variants of concern: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Omicron.

Omicron

The first sample of the Omicron or B.1.1.529 lineage was taken November 9, according to WHO. It got noticed because of a surge of cases in South Africa.

"This new variant, B.1.1.529 seems to spread very quick!" Tulio de Oliveira, director of South Africa's Center for Epidemic Response & Innovation, and a genetics researcher at Stellenbosch University, said on Twitter.

Also, genetic sequencing showed it carried a large number of troubling mutations on the spike protein -- the knoblike structure on the surface of the virus that it uses to grapple onto the cells it infects.

Some of those mutations were already recognized from other variants and were known to make them more dangerous, including one called E484K that can make the virus less recognizable to some antibodies -- immune system proteins that are a frontline defense against infection and that form the basis of monoclonal antibody treatments.

Like Delta, Omicron also carries a mutation called D614G, which appears to help the virus better attach to the cells it infects.

"The number of mutations per se does not mean that the new variant will cause any problems; although it may make it more likely to look different to the immune system," Dr. Peter English, former chair of the British Medical Association's Public Health Medicine Committee, said in a statement.

What worries scientists is the number of mutations affecting the spike protein. That's because most of the leading vaccines target the spike protein. Vaccines made by Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca and other companies all use just small pieces or genetic sequences of the virus and not whole virus, and all of them use bits of the spike protein to elicit immunity. So a change in the spike protein that made it less recognizable to immune system proteins and cells stimulated by a vaccine would be a problem.

So far, there's no evidence this has happened but there is no way of knowing by looking at the mutations alone. Researchers will have to wait and see if more breakthrough infections are caused by Omicron than by other variants.

The other fear is that the mutations might help make the virus less susceptible to monoclonal antibody treatments. However, WHO says it's unlikely these mutations would affect other Covid-19 treatments, including antiviral drugs in development and the steroid dexamethasone.

It takes an extra layer of testing above and beyond standard tests to detect infection to tell which variant of coronavirus has infected someone. Genetic sequencing must be conducted and that takes longer than a quick antigen test or a PCR test.

It's also too soon to tell whether Omicron causes more severe disease, although one doctor who treated some patients in South Africa told Reuters her patients had only mild symptoms. "The most predominant clinical complaint is severe fatigue for one or two days, with then the headache and the body aches and pain," Dr. Angelique Coetzee, a private practitioner and chair of the South African Medical Association, said.

Those factors may influence the rise of the variant in South Africa as opposed to countries where more people are vaccinated and fewer have immunocompromising conditions.

Physical barriers also will work against any mutant virus. These include masks, handwashing, physical distancing and good ventilation. "Much uncertain but we know what works vs. CoV-19: - improving indoor ventilation - quality masks/respirators - avoid indoor crowds - distancing - test, isolate, quarantine - vax + booster now for Delta," Dr. Jeffrey Duchin, health officer for Seattle & King County, tweeted Sunday.

While experts say they're watching closely, several have said they are not especially worried about Omicron just yet.

"I don't think we should panic," Robert Garry, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Tulane University School of Medicine, told CNN.

"The sky is not falling," Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor, told CNN. "We've not seen any evidence that Omicron causes any more severe disease than any other variants."

Delta

The Delta variant of coronavirus is now the dominant lineage in the US and much of the world. The Delta variant accounts for 99.9% of cases in the US, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Also known as B.1.617.2, it is clearly more transmissible than other variants, but it is still unclear if it causes more severe disease.

It quickly took over from the B.1.1.7, or Alpha, variant in most countries.

Delta also carries a cluster of mutations on the spike protein. It can also evade the immune system, which may mean people who have been infected once with an older variant may be more likely to catch it again. It also eludes the effects of a monoclonal antibody treatment called bamlanivimab, made by Eli Lilly and Company, but is vulnerable to the protection offered by other monoclonal antibody treatments.

Alpha

First identified as a variant of concern last December, the B.1.1.7 or Alpha variant of coronavirus was worrying public health officials last spring. It swept across England quickly and then out into the world, quickly becoming the dominant lineage in the United States. It has now been demoted to "Variant Being Monitored" by the CDC because of its low impact in the US.

It was shown to be at least 50% more transmissible than older lineages. It carries 23 mutations, including one called N501Y that increases transmission.

It's fully susceptible to monoclonal antibody treatments and vaccines.

Beta

First seen in South Africa, the B.1.351 or Beta variant has both the E484K mutation that is linked with immune escape and the N501Y mutation suspected of helping make many other variants more contagious. It has been shown to be 50% more transmissible than older strains and evades Lilly's dual monoclonal antibody treatment, but not others.

Blood tests and real-life use both suggest it can infect people who have recovered from coronavirus and also people who have been vaccinated against Covid-19.

Vaccine makers trying to get out ahead of the new variants by developing booster shots had focused on B.1.351, as it's the variant scientists most fear could elude vaccine protection. But partial escape doesn't mean full escape, and vaccines are still expected to protect people to some degree.

It was overtaken by Delta in South Africa and have never gained much of a foothold in the US, despite the worry it caused, and is now designated a Variant Being Monitored by the CDC.

Gamma

The P.1 or Gamma variant that swept Brazil also never gained much ground elsewhere and is also now a CDC Variant Being Monitored.

Gamma carries both the E484K and N501Y mutations, with more than 30 others. It has been demonstrated to evade the effects of Lilly's monoclonal antibody treatment but not one made by Regeneron. Blood tests show it might partly escape both natural and vaccine-elicited immune responses.

WHO Variants of Interest

Lambda: Lambda or C.37 was designated a WHO Variant of Interest in June. The CDC doesn't mention it.

Mu: Mu or B.1.621 caused a flurry of fear when it was declared a WHO Variant of Interest in August, but it soon fizzled out. It's now designated Variant Being Monitored by the CDC.

Variants Being Monitored by CDC

Epsilon: The B.1.427 and B.1.429 variants are usually lumped together and known as Epsilon. First seen in California, this one has the same L452R mutation carried by Delta, but not some of its other mutations and has not taken off in the way Delta has.

Iota: First seen in New York last November, the B.1.526 or Iota variant spread at first, accounting for as many as 9% of samples last April, but it's now virtually disappeared. It has what's called a 484 mutation that should help the virus attach more easily to the cells it infects and makes the virus less recognizable to the immune system.

Eta: First seen in the UK and Nigeria, Eta, also known as B.1.525, carries the E484K mutation. It has also virtually disappeared.

Zeta: Circulating in Brazil since last year, this variant, also known as P.2, also carries the E484K mutation and has not been found widely globally. It's almost disappeared in the US, according to the CDC.

There are no variants designated Nu or Xi. WHO decided "Nu" sounded too much like the English word "new" and Xi is a common last name.

Originally posted here:

Coronavirus variants: Here's what we know - CNN

Nov 29, 2021, 12:24pmUpdated 3h ago

By: Associated Press

Portuguese health authorities said Monday they have identified 13 cases of omicron, the new coronavirus variant believed to be more contagious, among team members of a professional soccer club.

The Ricardo Jorge National Health Institute said Monday that one of those who tested positive at the Lisbon-based Belenenses soccer club had recently traveled to South Africa, where the omicron variant was first identified.

The others, however, had not traveled to South Africa, indicating that this may be one of the very first cases of local transmission of the virus outside of southern Africa.

Those who have been in contact with the positive cases have been ordered to isolate, regardless of their vaccination status or their exposure to possible contagion, and will be regularly tested for COVID-19, the institute said.

As cases of a new coronavirus variant are confirmed around the world, Japan announced Monday that it will suspend entry of all foreign visitors, joining an increasing number of countries that are tightening their borders as fear spreads of yet another extension of pandemic suffering.

Japan, which has yet to detect any cases of the recently identified omicron variant, reimposed border controls that it eased earlier this month for short-term business visitors, foreign students and workers.

Despite the global worry, however, scientists cautioned that it's still unclear whether omicron is more dangerous than other versions of a virus that has killed more than 5 million people. Some countries are continuing with previous plans to loosen restrictions, with signs of reopening in Malaysia, Singapore and New Zealand.

We are taking the step as an emergency precaution to prevent a worst-case scenario in Japan, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said of the measure that begins Tuesday. Japan has kept its border closed to foreign tourists from all nations.

Kishida urged people to continue wearing masks and pursuing other basic anti-virus measures until further details of the new omicron variant are known.

Kishida, whose predecessor lost his job in part because of disappointment over his handling of the virus, was not alone in choosing an aggressive approach until details of what omicron can do emerge.

Israel decided to bar entry to foreigners, and Morocco said it would suspend all incoming flights for two weeks starting Monday - among the most drastic of the growing raft of travel curbs being imposed by nations around the world as they scrambled to slow the variants spread. Scientists in several places - from Hong Kong to Europe to North America - confirmed its presence.

On Monday, the Scottish government announced the discovery of six new cases of the omicron variant of coronavirus, taking the U.K. total to nine. It has asked public health authorities to undertake enhanced contact tracing in all cases. Over the weekend, British health authorities found three cases of the variant.

Others to report new cases over the weekend were the Netherlands, which has 13 confirmed cases, while Canada has found two.

In Malaysia, however, officials went ahead with the partial reopening of a bridge connecting it to the island city-state of Singapore. And New Zealand announced it will continue plans to reopen internally after months of shutdown, while also restricting travel from African nations.

The World Health Organization, noting that the variant has already been detected in many countries and that closing borders often has a limited effect, called for frontiers to remain open.

The variant was identified days ago by researchers in South Africa, and much about it is still unclear, including whether it is more contagious, more likely to cause serious illness or more able to evade the protection of vaccines.

Health officials in Australia's Northern Territory announced that the state confirmed its first case of omicron on Monday, a South African man who flew into Darwin last Thursday. Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt said the prime minister is convening the National Security Committee to review actions that could be taken over omicron.

In New South Wales, Premier Dominic Perrottet said Monday there could be a third omicron case in his state. Health authorities there announced Sunday that two travelers returning from South Africa had tested positive. They were asymptomatic and fully vaccinated. Arrivals from nine African countries are now required to quarantine in a hotel upon arrival.

New Zealand has restricted travel from nine southern African countries in response to the omicron threat, but Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she didnt anticipate any further restrictions.

And omicron hasnt changed New Zealands plans to ease restrictions in Auckland and move the nation into a new, more open phase of its pandemic response, Ardern said Monday. Bars, restaurants and gyms in Auckland can reopen from late Thursday, ending a coronavirus lockdown that began in August.

Weve come through the past two years of COVID in better shape than nearly anywhere in the world, Ardern said, pointing to low death rates, a growing economy and high vaccination rates.

Malaysians working in Singapore held joyful reunions with loved ones after returning to their homeland following the partial reopening of a land border that was shuttered for nearly two years because of the pandemic.

Buses ferried fully vaccinated passengers across the Causeway Bridge that connects the island of Singapore with the Malaysian peninsula. Strict measures included pre-departure and on-arrival COVID-19 tests.

Malaysias health minister tweeted that a COVID-19 case was detected during a screening, but didnt elaborate. The causeway was one of the worlds busiest land borders before the pandemic struck. Air travel also reopened with fewer restrictions, allowing anyone who is fully vaccinated to travel quarantine-free between the two countries.

Taiwan, which already has strict border entry controls, said its not planning to further tighten its COVID-19 border policies to protect against the omicron variant.

Taiwan requires a two-week quarantine on arrival. It also has restricted the issuing of visas and currently does not allow in foreigners, except those with residency permits and those who have special circumstances.

Health Minister Chen Shih-chung said officials are reserving rooms in government facilities for travelers from countries with reported omicron cases. The Central Epidemic Command Center listed six countries as high risk: South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, and Zimbabwe.

Taiwan is bracing for a surge of visitors ahead of the lunar new year, and has allowed those returning to complete the two-week quarantine partly at home. However, anyone arriving is still required to stick to the entire 14-day quarantine schedule and face fines if they break quarantine.

North Korea, which claims no virus cases and which has taken among the worlds harshest anti-virus measures, says its making all-out efforts to prevent omicron from entering the country. Many question its claim of being coronavirus-free. Since the start of the pandemic, North Korea has sealed off its international borders and jetted out diplomats.

Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health in the United States, meanwhile, said no data as yet suggest the new variant causes more serious illness than previous COVID-19 variants.

I do think its more contagious when you look at how rapidly it spread through multiple districts in South Africa. It has the earmarks therefore of being particularly likely to spread from one person to another. What we dont know is whether it can compete with delta, Collins said on CNNs State of the Union.

Collins echoed several experts in saying the news should make everyone redouble their efforts to use the tools the world already has, including vaccinations, booster shots and measures such as mask-wearing.

The U.S. is banning travel from South Africa and seven other southern African countries starting Monday. Its going to give us a period of time to enhance our preparedness, the United States top infectious diseases expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said of the ban on ABCs This Week.

Fauci says it will take approximately two more weeks to have more definitive information on the transmissibility, severity and other characteristics of omicron, according to a statement from the White House.

South Africas government responded angrily to the travel bans, which it said are akin to punishing South Africa for its advanced genomic sequencing and the ability to detect new variants quicker.

David Hui, a respiratory medicine expert and government adviser on the pandemic in Hong Kong, said the two people who tested positive there for the omicron variant had received the Pfizer vaccine and exhibited very mild symptoms, such as a sore throat.

Vaccines should work but there would be some reduction in effectiveness, he said.

More here:

OMICRON: Cases of new coronavirus variant are confirmed around the world - News 12 Bronx

People line up to get on the Air France flight to Paris at OR Tambo's airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Friday. The United States, Israel and other European nations have already imposed travel restrictions on South Africa and other nations in the region. Jerome Delay/AP hide caption

People line up to get on the Air France flight to Paris at OR Tambo's airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Friday. The United States, Israel and other European nations have already imposed travel restrictions on South Africa and other nations in the region.

When the omicron variant of COVID-19 was first identified in South Africa, the country's scientists were quick to inform global health leaders of the new mutations they had found.

Though scientists have little information about the new variant and aren't certain where it originated, several countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and the European Union announced almost immediate travel bans from South Africa and other southern African nations.

As the week began, Japan followed suit with far more restrictive measures.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced Monday the decision to reestablish entry rules for foreign travelers to limit any potential spread of the omicron variant. This comes just weeks after the country reopened its borders on Nov. 8.

Kishida told reporters this step is a "temporary measure until information about the omicron variant becomes clear."

Israel also implemented a blanket ban to all foreigners Sunday night after initially establishing restrictions on travelers just from southern African countries. According to The Jerusalem Post, under this new policy anyone returning from any country vaccinated Israelis included will need to isolate for three days once in the country.

The restrictive measures around the world sparked outcry from some health officials and experts who caution that the bans are premature and could set a harmful precedent.

"There is very little utility of these kinds of bans," Saad Omer, director of the Yale Institute of Global Health, told NPR.

"Unfortunately, from what we know about the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 and the epidemiology of this variant, the horse has probably left the barn," Omer said, noting the high transmissibility of this coronavirus and its variants.

And even though the omicron variant has been reported in several other countries in Europe, Asia and North America, travel bans are largely being imposed on southern African countries.

One of the identified cases of the omicron variant in Belgium had no contact or travel with any nations in southern Africa, suggesting community spread could already be taking place.

"If the question is to prevent the variant from coming in, it really doesn't make sense to exempt countries where it has been identified and that has even more direct flights than southern Africa," Omer said.

Travel bans from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in economic and other consequences we're still seeing today.

A recent study from the journal Science shows that restricting international travel in the beginning stages of the COVID-19 pandemic did have some effect on delaying spread, but the researchers said restricting travel is only truly effective when paired with curbing the spread of infection through hand-washing, isolation and early detection.

Another study, in the Journal of Emergency Management, concluded that little evidence exists to prove that international travel bans are effective in controlling the spread of infectious disease, and such measures should only be taken if recommended by the World Health Organization. With the omicron variant, the WHO has already cautioned against imposing travel bans.

Introducing a travel ban can also give a false sense that the virus is being contained, researchers said, adding that such policies can also make it difficult to transport health care workers and other resources.

Additionally, the stigma of travel bans can exacerbate racism and xenophobia, according to Nicole Errett of the University of Washington, who was the lead author on the Journal of Emergency Management study.

Omer, of the Yale Institute of Global Health, has another concern about implementing travel bans during a public health crisis: It can dampen the commitment to scientific transparency.

When countries that are proactive about disclosing the circulation of a virus are hit with travel restrictions, he said, that undercuts the case for health officials to be forthcoming about what's happening in their countries.

"You don't want a situation where, a month from now, a country health minister ... gets a result of sequenced virus and they say, 'OK, if it is that widespread, it's going to come out anyways from some other country, why be the first one?' And that cycle starts," said Omer.

Addressing vaccine inequity around the world is the best way to stop these new variants from emerging, Omer said.

"If there are more transmission events going on with every hour, with every day, with every week, the likelihood of a variant emerging goes up," he said.

And one of the most effective ways to address inequity, Omer said, is to allow for all regions, low-income countries in particular, to produce their own vaccines.

It's too early to tell whether the omicron variant in particular will become a serious public health threat, Omer added, "but that doesn't mean that we are not playing with fire by by letting vaccine inequity continue."

More:

South Africa informed the world of omicron. Then it was hit with travel bans : Coronavirus Updates - NPR