Published 12/12/2021 06:00
When in doubt, don’t overstep. Commonly used on traffic lights, the alarm serves almost every dangerous situation in life. It applies, at the moment, to Omicron. Classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as delta-like and possibly more transmissible, the variant has caused worldwide panic. Three weeks after it was officially sequenced in South Africa, scientists seem to agree about a higher risk of infection from the new strain. But not about lethality.
The US government’s chief adviser on the pandemic, immunologist Anthony Fauci was the first internationally renowned scientist to speak publicly about the signs that Omicron did not appear to have the danger that shook the planet when it was announced. “So far, there doesn’t seem to be a significant degree of attraction,” he said. But he wondered: “It is too early to make any final statements.”
However, epidemiologist Karl Lauterbach went further. Even before taking over as Germany’s health minister last week, he announced that a lack of evidence of serious cases associated with omicron appeared to indicate that mutations identified in the spike protein, the virus’ gateway to human cells, had suffered. Infect people instead of killing. He explained that it is a development that occurs with most respiratory viruses. He assessed that if the omicron reached this stage and became a preponderance, it could hasten the end of the epidemic. He described it as an “early birthday present”.
In recent days, other information has brought real relief to the world. Pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and BioNTech have announced that three doses of their vaccine are able to neutralize the new strain. Additionally, as of last Friday, there were no reports of serious cases, hospitalizations or deaths in the nearly 60 countries where Omicron is already present. In general, those infected experience mild symptoms similar to those of the common flu.
But when it was first identified, omicron caused panic in the world. The day after the alternative was discovered, fears of a global downturn in the economy led to the collapse of the planet’s major stock exchanges. In an almost immediate reaction, Brazil, the United States, Canada, Israel, the European Union and the United Kingdom decided to impose entry restrictions on people from South Africa and neighboring countries.
With around 617,000 deaths from the coronavirus in the country and given the paucity of scientific data on the alternative, Brazil’s governors and mayors have chosen to be cautious. Official New Year’s Eve parties have been suspended in most capitals. Among them are Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Salvador, Recife and Fortaleza. Until more concrete data is available on omicrons, scientists say it is best to speed up vaccination and maintain mask use. Also, when in doubt, don’t go overboard: keep a physical distance.
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