The world is on high alert after a new coronaviruses variant called Omicron was spotted in South Africa less than three weeks ago. The news of the variant's spread sent global markets into turmoil on Friday and prompted travel restrictions across Europe, Asia, and North America.
The variant may be driving a recent outbreak in South Africa, where average daily cases have risen 13-fold since the first Omicron case was reported. The variant has been seen in several countries.
Omicron has a number of genes that could help it spread, render vaccines less effective, or lead to more severe disease. The World Health Organization said preliminary evidence suggests Omicron may increase the risk of reinfection.
More data is needed to determine if Omicron poses a greater public health threat than Delta.
The chair of the South African Medical Association told The Guardian on Friday that so far the cases are mild. "Maybe two weeks from now, I will have a different opinion, but this is what we are seeing."
The first Omicron case in Hong Kong was a 36-year-old man who had just returned from a trip to South Africa. The Center for Health Protection (CHP) in Hong Kong said that the man was fully vaccined in June. The 62-year-old male who did show symptoms after testing positive may have been passed the virus by him.
Four Omicron cases were confirmed by the health ministry of Botswana. The ministry didn't say if the people had any symptoms, but the positive cases were detected as part of the routine screening of incoming travelers.
We don't know if the new variant is better than Delta.
Omicron was labeled a "variant of concern" by the WHO on Friday, which requires close scrutiny from public-health officials.
Scientists are still waiting on lab studies to determine how well coronaviruses hold up against Omicron. They're watching to see how quickly the variant spreads, particularly in countries with higher vaccination rates. South Africa has fully vaccined just 24% of its population so far, compared to 59% in the US.
"We don't know if the new variant is better than Delta," Jetelina said. We don't know if it will be able to evade our vaccines.
She said that people who have been fully vaccined and wear masks in public shouldn't feel like they have to change their behavior.
"We need to hold tight to see how this plays out and what our next move is," Jetelina said.
