Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Chief Medical advisor to the President, speaks alongside US President Joe Biden as he delivers remarks on the Omicron COVID-19 variant following a meeting.
Amid global panic over the recently identified omicron coronaviruses variant, US President Joe Biden on Monday urged Americans to stay calm and continue following health measures known to be highly effective at combatting COVID-19.
"This variant is a cause for concern, not a cause for panic," Biden said. America's scientific prowess and the power of current vaccines made them able to address the potential threat. "We'll fight this variant with scientific and knowledgeable actions and speed, not chaos and confusion."
Anthony Fauci was with Biden during the remarks. Biden met with Dr. Fauci and the rest of the White House COVID-19 Response Team to discuss the threat of omicron. Biden reported that Fauci and the team believe that current vaccines will provide at least some protection against omicron and that booster doses will strengthen that protection significantly.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made a change to its recommendations for booster shots, saying everyone should get a booster dose.
Biden said that they do not believe that additional measures will be needed. masking and physical distance are time-tested health measures that are effective against the spread of the virus. "Biden wants you to wear your mask when you're in public settings with other people," he said. It protects you. Those around you are protected.
Prepare vs. panic.
The world will need updated vaccines and/or booster shots if the vaccines do not work, according to Biden. My team is working with officials at Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson to develop contingency plans for vaccines. I will direct the FDA and the CDC to use the fastest process available without cutting corners for safety to get such vaccines approved and on the market.
The president's remarks reflect the difficult messaging around the discovery and response to omicron, which has concerning features but little data to solidify those concerns.
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The variant was reported to the World Health Organization by officials in South Africa. A sample taken on November 9 was the first to identify the variant. Omicron was found in neighboring Botswana from clinical samples.
The number of cases of COVID-19 in South Africa has risen sharply since those early detections. The share of cases from omicron has increased rapidly. The director of the Centre for Epidemic Response and innovation in South Africa reported on November 25 that the omicron variant accounted for 75 percent of the genomes in the country. The WHO designated omicron as a "variant of concern-sars-cov-2-variant-of-concern" based on its rapid rise and its genetic alterations.
There are different types of vaccinations and Mutations.
The number of mutations that omicron carries is concerning. According to the data so far, omicron has at least 45 to 52 changes in its genetic blueprints, and at least 26 to 32 of those changes occur in the virus' critical spike protein. Our immune responses can be derived from past infections or vaccines, but the spike protein is the main target of the virus. The delta variant was the global leader with nine changes in its spikeProtein.
The omicron's spike has some of the same quirks as the other versions, and some of them can foil potent anti-viruses. There are other mutations that have never been seen before. Scientists don't yet know what the effects of the mutations will be on our immune responses. It will take several weeks to get answers. Experiments pitting the new variant against vaccine-derived and infection-derived antibodies in labs and real-world data on vaccine effectiveness and reinfections will likely be the answers to the question of "immune escape".
Experts agree with the Biden administration that vaccine effectiveness will likely take a hit but won't fall to zero. Omicron's lineup of mutations suggests that the responses will be weakened, but they are not likely to fail completely. Our immune systems rely on cell-based responses to fight infections.
"Despite uncertainties, it is reasonable to assume that currently available vaccines offer some protection against severe disease and death," the WHO concluded in a technical guidance on omicron.
