While existing fears over a potential holiday surge in COVID-19 cases were already generating concern, health officials are now sounding the alarm over a new variant. First detected in South Africa, the omicron variant is believed to have more mutations than previous COVID-19 variants.
As soon as the world went calm and back on track, the news of another deadly covid variant has risen questions, the world is again coming under fear. After South Africa now Dubai has also reported an omicron case which is definitely bad news as the virus is coming near.
The World Health Organization has warned that the new COVID-19 variant was a variant of concern, giving it the name “omicron” after the letter in the Greek alphabet. The variant reportedly has dozens of mutations that could make it more likely to evade vaccines and spread quickly around the globe. A leading epidemiologist has claimed the Omicron variant could be the “blessing” experts have been waiting for. Professor Tony Blakely said, the possibly more infectious but less severe strain of COVID-19 could provide a pathway out of the pandemic.
Head of drugmaker Moderna (MRNA.O) said COVID-19 vaccines are unlikely to be as effective against the Omicron variant of the coronavirus as they have been previously, sparking fresh worry in financial markets about the trajectory of the pandemic.
“There is no world, I think, where (the effectiveness) is the same level, we had with Delta,” Moderna Chief Executive Stéphane Bancel said.
I just hope that the virus fizzles out.
