UpdateExperts are concerned about a new variant of the coronavirus that has emerged in southern Africa. Although there is not yet enough data available to say with certainty whether the omikron variant – variant B.1.1.529 – is more contagious, more pathogenic and/or resistant to the vaccines, a lot of red flags are raising. This is what we already know.
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Where does B.1.1.529 come from?
The new variant was first noticed in South Africa and there it seems to be spreading like crazy. In less than two weeks, B.1.1.529 or omikron has taken over the dominant position of the highly contagious delta variant. It should be mentioned, however, that delta was on its way back after a heavy wave. Currently, B.1.1,529 is found in about 75 percent of the samples examined, but experts fear it won’t be long before it can be found in 100 percent of the samples.
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However, that does not mean that the new variant also originated in southern Africa. According to the Dutch virologist Marion Koopmans, the omikron variant does not come from the delta family, but rather appears to be a descendant of one of the very first virus variants, which circulated at the beginning of last year. She tells this in the Dutch Volkskrant. “That could mean that he has been simmering somewhere all this time, in a country where we are not monitoring the virus well. I take into account that it did not originate in South Africa, but elsewhere.”
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Other possibilities are that the new variant has developed in the body of a chronically ill patient. Or that he went around in an animal population and jumped back to humans. The latter would be an even more alarming development.
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Read all about the coronavirus in our file.
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What is different about the omikron variant?
Tulio de Oliveira, director of the Center for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI) at Stellenbosch University, called B.1.1.529 on Twitter “very worrying” about “the mutations he exhibits.”
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Not only is it an “unusual constellation” that is very different from the variants we already know, there are also an alarming number of them: as many as 50, 32 of which are on the spike protein with which the virus enters our cells. That’s cause for concern, because most vaccines focus on that spike protein to give us protection. In addition, some of the mutations that also occur in other variants are associated with a higher transmissibility of the virus and an evasion of our immune system.
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The good news is that the new variant appears to be easy to detect with a PCR test.
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Is the omikron variant more contagious and/or sickening?
The World Health Organization (WHO) named the new corona variant B.1.1.529 ‘omikron’ last Friday and classified it as a “variant of concern”, a troubling corona variant. “This variant has a large number of mutations, some of which are disturbing,” it said. According to the experts, initial evidence suggests a higher risk of reinfection compared to other variants of concern.
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According to virologist Marc Van Ranst, the new corona variant is “probably even more contagious than the delta variant”. This can be deduced from the fact that he is displacing the delta variant in South Africa. “In South Africa, he has been emerging in recent days and weeks with a speed that surprises everyone,” he tells HLN LIVE. “If it can displace the delta variant, it should be super contagious and will be one of the most contagious viruses ever.”
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The patients complain the most about a sore body and fatigue, extreme fatigue.
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It is not yet clear at all about the pathogenic potential, but according to Angélique Coetzee, president of the South African doctors’ association, patients infected with the omikron variant are not seriously ill for the time being. “The patients complain the most about a sore body and fatigue, extreme fatigue,” she said. “We’re seeing it in the younger generation, not older people.” It would not concern patients who are immediately hospitalized.
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She also says that she immediately thought of a variant of the corona virus, because the first symptoms were different. The patients were very tired, but no one complained of loss of taste or smell. “Their symptoms were so different and milder than those I had treated before.”
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Will the vaccines work against the new variant omikron?
What is also being extensively researched is whether the new variant can (partly) outsmart our vaccines. “We are concerned about the effectiveness of the vaccines against this variant, because this variant has a lot of mutations,” Van Ranst said on Twitter. “Extreme caution is needed.”
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“It is also essential that the vaccines are available around the world. In Africa, only five to six percent of the population is currently vaccinated. Even more mutations can be expected there,” says Van Ranst.
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Pfizer and BioNTech prepared months ago to adapt the vaccine in less than six weeks.
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Moderna already announced on Friday that it was developing a booster vaccine specifically aimed at the omikron variant. The German biotech company BioNTech, which developed a corona vaccine together with the American pharmaceutical company Pfizer, also says that it is currently studying omikron. It expects “at the latest in two weeks” the first study results, which should show whether the current vaccines offer sufficient protection.
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“Pfizer and BioNTech prepared months ago to adapt the vaccine to less than six weeks and the first doses to be delivered within a hundred days if a variant appears that would be resistant,” said a spokesperson.
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Where has the omikron variant already appeared?
In addition to South Africa, B.1.1.529 has already surfaced in Botswana and Hong Kong, according to CERI’s Tulio de Oliveira. Israel’s health minister reported Friday morning that at least one case had already been discovered in his country, involving a traveler returning from Malawi. In Australia, two travelers tested positive for the new variant on Sunday.
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Our country reported the first known case in Europe on Friday. The omikron variant was also detected in England, Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic and probably in the Netherlands during the weekend.
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What measures are already being taken against the omikron variant?
Experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) have been convened to discuss the available data on B.1.1.529. Many countries have already introduced travel restrictions for a number of African countries.
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In our country there is a entry ban for travelers who were in one of these African countries in the past two weeks: Botswana, Swaziland (eSwatini), Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. There is an important exception for Belgians and people with their main residence in Belgium. They must be quarantined for ten days on their return.
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Hundreds of people who have recently returned from African countries where the B.1.1.529 variant was detected will be tracked down and tested to prevent the variant from spreading further.
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