Heavily-mutated COVID variant declared ‘of concern’ by WHO, named Omicron

A new heavily-mutated COVID-19 variant has been declared to be “of concern” by the World Health Organisation and named it Omicron.

After an emergency meeting on Friday, WHO said the variant had a large number of mutations, and early evidence suggested an increased reinfection risk.

This is not the first variant declared to be of concern by WHO but the sheer number of mutations will have to be studied over the coming weeks to understand whether Omicron is able to evade immunity provided by the current vaccines.

Meanwhile, vaccine producers say it could take up to three months to tweak vaccines to combat the new variant if this is necessary. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen held talks with top company executives from Pfizer, BioNtech and Moderna, yesterday evening as they explained efforts to understand Omicron and adapt vaccines accordingly.

Very fruitful discussions this evening with @sbancel @AlbertBourla and Uğur Şahin of @moderna_tx and @BioNTech_Group @Pfizer

They explained their efforts to quickly and thoroughly understand the #Omicron variant and adjust our strategies accordingly.

Time is of the essence. pic.twitter.com/PvOduQi6QV

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) November 26, 2021

Omicron was first reported to the WHO by South Africa on 24 November but the virus has also been identified in Botswana, Belgium, Hong Kong and Israel.

Malta was one of the first EU countries to ban travel to and from six southern African states on Friday. Later on, the European Commission recommended an EU-wide travel ban with southern African countries of South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini.

The UK was the first to introduce the ban and the US has now followed suit, along with a host of other countries.

ECDC warning

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has said preliminary data on the risks of the new Omicron variant of COVID-19, was of high concern.

The variant, first detected in southern Africa, is the most divergent variant detected in significant numbers during the pandemic to date, raising serious concerns that it may significantly reduce the effectiveness of vaccines and increase the risk of reinfections.

“There is still considerable uncertainty related to the transmissibility, vaccine effectiveness, risk for reinfections and other properties of this variant,” ECDC director Dr Andrea Ammon said. “At this stage, based on our experience with previous variants we must be proactive and implement measures as a precaution to buy time until we gain more knowledge.”

Ammon said it was imperative that adults over 40 are prioritised for booster shots and called for the timely, reinforced implementation of non-pharmaceutical interventions.

The variant was first detected in samples collected in Botswana and South Africa. As of 26 November 2021, travel-related cases have also been detected in Belgium, Hong Kong and Israel.

“There is considerable uncertainty related to the transmissibility, vaccine effectiveness, risk for reinfections and other properties of the Omicron variant,” the ECDC said, warning that the risk of community spread was high.

“In a situation where the Delta variant is resurgent in the EU/EEA, the impact of the introduction and possible further spread of Omicron could be very high.”

Festive season risks

The ECDC said the risk of a rise in COVID cases over the Christmas period demanded greater use of face masks, teleworking, reduction of crowding on public transport, adequate ventilation in closed spaces, and maintenance of hygiene measures.

“Setting limits for the number of participants in social and public events during end-of-year celebrations will support physical distancing efforts,” the ECDC said.

Increases in case notifications, hospitalisations and intensive care unit admissions have been driven by circulation of the Delta variant and insufficient vaccine uptake, as well as a relaxation of COVID restrictions.

“Whilst the burden from COVID-19 is particularly high in a number of countries experiencing low vaccine uptake, there is evidence of rising burden even among countries with higher uptake,” the ECDC said.

To date, 65.4% of the total population and 76.5% of the adult population in the EU/EEA have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Vaccination continues to avert deaths and reduce hospitalisations despite the continued dominance of the Delta variant, which is up to 60% more transmissible than the previously dominant variant, Alpha.