Germany and the UK recently confirmed their two first cases of the new variant of COVID-19: Ómicron. For this reason, various countries increased restrictions and border closures, given the alert of concern raised by the World Health Organization (WHO).
In conversation with CNN Chile, the head of the critical patient unit of the Indisa Clinic, Dr. Sebastián Ugarte I affirm that “It is a variant that has a capacity to produce more infections, which has an affinity for human cells that facilitates their adherence and contagion ”.
Regarding the effectiveness of vaccines when facing omicron, the doctor explained that “We have an immunity that affects not only the original strain, but also various variants but I have to check it and for this, various studies are currently being developed to test how sensitive this new variable is with the neutralizing antibodies that are capable of inducing the different vaccines ”.
Along these lines, he announced that “already some manufacturers -of vaccines- they are beginning their race to develop a specific vaccine for this variant ”.
When asked about how new variants of COVID-19 are detected, Ugarte explained that “when a virus changes its behavior and begins to generate an outbreak of unusual violence and speed, the sequencing study is done to establish if the phenomenon is explained ”.
“In this case, the variant known as omicron accumulated a set of changes that made it potentially dangerous. and the behavior it has had has already led to it being classified as a variant of concern, “he added.
In this context, the doctor from the Indisa Clinic stated what “can be an inconvenient truth”: “It is not enough to vaccinate in our countryAs long as there are areas of the world where a large part of the population that does not have protection, there is the possibility that a variant will appear tomorrow ”.
“As long as we do not face vaccination as an international challenge, it will not end”, he sentenced.
Finally, he addressed the measures that should be taken into consideration at the national level to prevent an outbreak of the omicron variant. “Given this alert, what seems prudent is that apart from having a mobility pass revalidated in our territory and international travelers from countries with community transmission of the omicron variant should undergo a PCR before boarding and undergo a second examination upon arrival in the country and be in a health residence for a few days until confirming that they are free of this variant, “he said.
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