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KOMPAS.com – Lately the world is still busy with the addition of new cases of infection Covid-19.
The variants that are still frequently reported are the Delta variant and the Omicron variant.
In fact, since early 2020, there have been initial variants of Covid-19 that have been introduced, starting from the Alpha variant, Beta variant, Gamma variant, to the Lambda variant whose names are regulated by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Then, is it now old variant of Covid-19 is it gone or can it still infect?
Also read: Deltacron Is Not A New Variant, Here’s An Expert Explanation About Its Risks
Existence of old variant
Spokesperson for the COVID-19 Task Force (Satgas) of the UNS Surakarta Hospital, Dr. Tonang Dwi Ardyanto, said that the old variant of Covid-19 still existed.
“Still, so it doesn’t disappear until it runs out. It’s still there, only the numbers are being pushed by the Omicron variant which is dominating,” said Tonang when contacted by Kompas.com, Monday (14/3/2022).
According to him, the risk of infection from this old variant is still there. However, the risk of transmission of this old variant depends on the proportion.
“The ones who are most at risk are of course infected with the dominant variant,” he continued.
Also read: The Deltacron Variant Appears in Europe and the US, Has It Entered Indonesia?
Other variants are not classified
The chairman of the Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) Research Team from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) Sugiyono Saputra conveyed the data on the detection of the Covid-19 variant in Indonesia.
He said, referring to the SARS-CoV-2 genome data in Indonesia from February 2022 to the present at GISAID, the Covid-19 variant is dominated by Omicron.
“The Omicron variant is around 95 percent and the Delta variant is under 1 percent,” said Sugiyono when contacted separately by Kompas.com, Monday (14/3/2022).
According to him, the remaining percentage is other variants and variants that are not classified.
Because, varian of concern (VOC) or the variants of concern at this time are Omicron and Delta.
Also read: Stomach Pain from Omicron: How Does It Feel and What’s the Cure?
Are current vaccines effective against older variants?
“Changes in genes do not always cause changes in protein. When changes occur, they are not always significant,” said Tonang.
Therefore, he added, vaccines made for the previous variants (such as the Alpha variant, Beta variant, and others) still have an effect on subsequent variants such as the Delta variant and the Omicron variant.
The Covid-19 vaccine is still showing its effectiveness as long as the mutation does not change the protein significantly.
“So (the vaccine) still has an effect on the old variant and the new variant,” he added.
Also read: Indonesia Hasn’t Looked For The Fourth Dose Of Vaccine, Here’s The Reason
Vaccines for symptom severity protection
On the other hand, Sugiyanto said that even if a person has been fully vaccinated (2 doses) and added boosterHowever, this action cannot block infection, but only provides protection from severe symptoms of Covid-19.
“If the third vaccine or booster“This tends not to be able to block infection, but rather to provide protection against the severity of the disease caused or in other words enough to prevent critically ill people,” said Sugiyono.
He asserted, the immunity formed after booster in fact it will also decrease in a few months.
But because of the memory B cells and T cells that are formed, the body is still able to fight off the Omicron variant.
This is indicated by a decrease in the severity or criticality of the patient’s condition, although it cannot prevent the occurrence of Omicron infection.
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