Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Covid-19 has mutated into many variants, the latest of which is Omicron. Omicron was first identified in South Africa in November and has since spread to dozens of countries, including Indonesia.
The World Health Organization (WHO) labels Omicron as a Variant of Concern (VOC). With the VOC category, Omicron is a variant of the Corona virus which is thought to be able to cause increased transmission and death and can even affect the effectiveness of the vaccine.
The symptom characteristics of the Omicron variant are known to be slightly different from the previous variant. However, some experts call the symptoms of the Omicron variant milder.
Head of the South African Medical Association, dr. Angelique Coetzee, said the symptoms of Omicron are very different from the Delta variant. He called the symptoms of Omicron very similar to the symptoms of a cold or flu. Symptoms of the Omicron variant include headaches, body aches, and an itchy throat.
Meanwhile, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the common symptoms of the Omicron variant detected so far were dry cough and itchy throat (89%), fatigue (65%), nasal congestion (59%), fever (38%). ), nausea (22%), shortness of breath or difficulty breathing (16%), and diarrhea (11%).
Regarding its transmission capability, the Head of the Professional Development Division of the Indonesian Association of Epidemiologists (PAEI), Dr. Masdalina Pane, explained that the infectious ability of Omicron was five times that of the initial variant. The booster vaccine is recommended to deal with these variants.
Then, what vaccine is effective against this new variant from South Africa? The following are the results of temporary research on the COVID-19 vaccine against the Omicron variant.
Next Page >>> Vaccine Efficacy Against Omicron
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