Recently, WHO Director-General Tedros Tedros said that the Omi Keron strain is spreading at an unprecedented rate, and people believe that the symptoms caused by the strain are relatively mild, and its harm is underestimated.
He pointed out that the rate of transmission of Omi Keron is something we have never seen before in a mutated virus. At present, 77 countries/regions have reported the detection of this mutated virus. In fact, Omi Keron virus has appeared in most countries, but some countries have not yet discovered it.
Tan Desai pointed out that even if the symptoms after infection with the Omi Keron strain are not severe, if a large number of cases are caused, the health system will be overwhelmed again.
South African President's Covid-19 Test Report Tests Positive
South Africa was the first country to report the Omi Keron strain. In just one month, the number of new confirmed cases in the country doubled and increased, and last weekend set a new high in a single day since the beginning of the epidemic.
It is reported that after South African President Ramaphosa ended his visit to four countries in West Africa, he felt unwell, and his new coronavirus test result was subsequently reported to be positive. It is being monitored by the South African Military Health Service under the South African Defence Force, and is currently self-isolating in Cape Town.
In Gauteng, the "epicenter" of the epidemic in South Africa, the number of new infections in the first week of December surged by 400%, and more than 90% of the infections were caused by the Omi Keron strain.
It is worth mentioning that there were 22,400 newly confirmed infections nationwide in South Africa. Last Friday there were 19,000 newly confirmed cases, while only about 200 new cases were reported every day a few weeks ago. South Africa’s Health Minister Fahra said that in the past month, the number of new infections in South Africa has reached 90,000.
However, according to the latest data released by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases of South Africa, the severe illness rate among patients hospitalized with Ome Keron infection in recent weeks is about 30%, which is a half compared with previous waves of local epidemics. Local doctors also said that according to observations so far, Omi Keron is more contagious, but the patient’s symptoms are milder.
Ome Keron case in Japan
According to the Japan Broadcasting Association (NHK) report, on the 13th, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan confirmed that among the people who entered the country from the 6th to the 9th, 4 cases of infection with the new crown Omikron variant were detected. Of the four people diagnosed, two have stayed in the United States, among the other two, one has been to Nigeria, and one has stayed in Kenya.
Of these four people, three of them have received two shots of the "Pfizer" vaccine, and they are all asymptomatic infections. Currently, all 4 persons are placed in medical institutions for isolation.
According to NHK's statistics, including the latest 4 cases, the number of Omi Kiron strain infections in Japan has increased to 17 cases.
It is reported that the domestic epidemic crisis in Japan has experienced a "cliff-like" decline. The number of newly confirmed cases in Japan on October 31 dropped from the previous daily increase of more than 20,000 in July and August to more than 200.
Recently, affected by the "Omi Keron strain" of the new crown virus, Japan has closed the country and suspended the entry of foreigners from all countries and regions to prevent the epidemic from rebounding again.
Britain’s first Omi Keron death
Scientists from all over the world are paying close attention to the Omi Keron strain in their country.
The speed of Omi Keron's spread in the UK is "quite amazing." A group of experts from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine warned that without further restrictions, the UK will usher in a new peak of the epidemic in January next year.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently confirmed that there is currently at least one death in the UK due to infection with the Omi Keron strain.
According to model predictions, in the most pessimistic scenario, as of the end of April next year, Omi Kiron strain infection may cause 25,000 to 75,000 deaths in the country.
Not only that, but two British infectious disease experts have also recently warned that the spread of the new crown virus Omi Keron variant in the UK seems to have surpassed South Africa. In addition, due to the rapid increase in the number of infections with the Omi Kiron strain of the new crown virus, the United Kingdom has raised the alert level of the new crown pneumonia epidemic to level four, second only to the highest level five.
Omikeron infections in other European countries on the rise
Following the report of Belgium’s first case of "Omi Keron strain" infection in Europe, Germany and Italy have successively confirmed cases of “Omi Keron variant strain” infection, and the Netherlands and the Czech Republic have also reported the discovery of related suspected cases.
The state of Bavaria, Germany, reported two confirmed cases of "Omi Keron strain" infection, and the patients entered the country from Munich Airport.
In the week ending on the 13th, the cumulative number of newly diagnosed cases in Denmark in 7 days also broke the record, reaching 46,189, a surge of more than 50% over the previous week. The Danish health department said that the Omi Keron strain is expected to become the mainstream strain in Copenhagen within this week. A total of 3,473 confirmed cases of this strain have been infected in Denmark.
In addition, the number of new confirmed cases of new crowns in Ireland has remained at around 4,000 in recent weeks, close to the highest level. The country’s health authorities expect 11% of the newly confirmed cases to be infected with the Omi Keron strain, which was only 1% a week ago. The country currently has 18 confirmed cases of Omi Kiron strain.
Norway’s recent new cases and hospitalizations have also broken records. To date, 958 cases of Ome Keron strain have been confirmed, of which 472 are in the capital Oslo.
WHO acknowledges the limitations of vaccines to Omi Keron
Michael Ryan, head of WHO's health emergency project, said that in countries where the new crown mutant virus Omi Keron strain has appeared, the strain has spread at a very fast rate, causing a large number of cases. This epidemic is expected in a few weeks. It may reach its peak.
Ryan also pointed out that the new crown vaccine seems to have a certain protective effect on the Omi Keron strain. The WHO is currently collecting relevant experimental evidence to understand the effectiveness of the vaccine against the Omi Keron strain.
Due to a large number of mutations in the spike protein region of the Omi Keron virus in mainstream vaccines, a number of preliminary research data show that the protective efficacy of most vaccines has been greatly attenuated.
Discovery Health, the largest medical insurance provider in South Africa, said that people who have completed two injections of Pfizer/BNT vaccine have reduced their protection against Omi Keron virus to 33%, but from the perspective of avoiding hospitalization and severe illness It seems that the effective rate still reaches 70%.
At the press conference on Tuesday, Tan Desai also stated that "vaccine alone cannot deal with the epidemic." We also need to wear masks, maintain social distancing and indoor ventilation, and adhere to strict hygiene practices. These things must be done, and we must find ways to do our best.
