Preliminary proof signifies that COVID-19 vaccines could also be much less efficient in opposition to an infection and transmission linked to the Omicron variant, which additionally carries the next threat of reinfection, the World Well being Group mentioned on Wednesday.
The WHO, in its weekly epidemiological replace, mentioned that extra information was wanted to higher perceive the extent to which Omicron might evade immunity derived from both vaccines or earlier an infection.
“Because of this, the general threat associated to the brand new variant of concern Omicron stays very excessive,” it mentioned, echoing feedback made by WHO officers at a web-based briefing on Tuesday.
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For the primary time for the reason that dominant Delta variant was categorised as a variant of concern in April, the proportion of Delta sequences registered on the GISAID international science database has declined this week in contrast with different variants of concern, it mentioned.
The WHO added it must be interpreted with warning as nations might carry out focused sequencing for Omicron and subsequently add fewer sequences on all different variants, together with Delta.
The Delta variant continues to be dominant, nonetheless, accounting for 99.2 per cent of the just about 880,000 sequences uploaded to GISAID with specimens collected within the final 60 days.
However the pattern is declining within the proportion of Alpha, Beta and Gamma, and with the emergence of Omicron variant. Out of the full, some 3,755 – or 0.4 per cent – had been Omicron and the opposite three variants of concern collectively numbered 401, lower than 0.1 per cent every.
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