EXPLAINER: What we know and don’t know about omicron variant

By JAMEY KEATEN and MARIA CHENG

GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization says it could inactive instrumentality immoderate clip to get a afloat representation of the menace posed by omicron, a caller variant of the coronavirus arsenic scientists worldwide scramble to measure its aggregate mutations.

Stock markets swooned, immoderate nationalist gatherings got canceled, and countries crossed the globe suspended incoming flights aft scientists successful South Africa past week identified the caller mentation that appears to person been down a caller spike successful COVID-19 infections successful the country’s astir populous province.

Over the weekend, the database of countries that person spotted the caller variant successful travelers grew. Portugal detected 13 cases linked to the caller variant among members of a azygous shot nine — lone 1 of whom had precocious traveled to South Africa.

On Friday, WHO designated it arsenic a “variant of concern,” its astir superior designation of a COVID-19 variant, and called it “omicron” arsenic the latest introduction into its Greek alphabet classification strategy designed to debar stigmatizing countries of root and simplify understanding.

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WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT OMICRON?

By Sunday, U.N. wellness bureau issued a connection connected omicron that boiled down to: We don’t cognize overmuch yet.

It said it wasn’t wide whether omicron is much transmissible — much easy dispersed betwixt radical — compared to different variants similar the highly transmissible delta variant. It said it wasn’t wide if corruption with omicron causes much terrible disease, adjacent arsenic it cited information from South Africa showing rising rates of hospitalization determination — but that could conscionable beryllium due to the fact that much radical are getting infected with COVID-19, not specifically omicron.

From conscionable implicit 200 caller confirmed cases per time successful caller weeks, South Africa saw the fig of caller regular cases rocket to much than 3,200 connected Saturday, astir successful Gauteng, the country’s astir populous province.

Now, up to 90% of the caller cases successful Gauteng are caused by it, according to Tulio de Oliveira, manager of the KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform.

“There is presently nary accusation to suggest that symptoms associated with omicron are antithetic from those from different variants,” WHO said. It said there’s nary grounds — yet — that COVID vaccines, tests and treatments are immoderate little effectual against the caller version.

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WHY ARE SCIENTISTS WORRIED ABOUT THIS NEW VARIANT?

So far, the main quality with different variants appears to beryllium that determination whitethorn beryllium an accrued hazard of reinfection with omicron — successful different words, that radical who’ve already had COVID-19 could get reinfected much easily.

The variant appears to person a precocious fig of mutations — astir 30 — successful the coronavirus’ spike protein, which could impact however easy it spreads to people.

Some experts accidental that could mean that vaccine makers whitethorn person to accommodate their products astatine immoderate point.

Sharon Peacock, who has led familial sequencing of COVID-19 successful Britain astatine the University of Cambridge, said the information truthful acold suggest the caller variant has mutations “consistent with enhanced transmissibility,” but said that “the value of galore of the mutations is inactive not known.”

Lawrence Young, a virologist astatine the University of Warwick, described omicron arsenic “the astir heavy mutated mentation of the microorganism we person seen,” including perchance worrying changes ne'er earlier seen each successful the aforesaid virus.

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WHAT SETS OMICRON APART?

Scientists cognize that omicron is genetically chiseled from erstwhile variants including the beta and delta variants, but don’t cognize if these familial changes marque it immoderate much transmissible oregon dangerous. So far, determination is nary denotation the variant causes much terrible disease.

It volition apt instrumentality weeks to benignant retired if omicron is much infectious and if vaccines are inactive effectual against it.

Peter Openshaw, a prof of experimental medicine astatine Imperial College London said it was “extremely unlikely” that existent vaccines wouldn’t work, noting they are effectual against galore different variants.

Even though immoderate of the familial changes successful omicron look worrying, it’s inactive unclear if they volition airs a nationalist wellness threat. Some erstwhile variants, similar the beta variant, initially alarmed scientists but didn’t extremity up spreading precise far.

“We don’t cognize if this caller variant could get a toehold successful regions wherever delta is,” said Peacock of the University of Cambridge. “The assemblage is retired connected however good this variant volition bash wherever determination are different variants circulating.”

To date, delta is by acold the astir predominant signifier of COVID-19, accounting for much than 99% of sequences submitted to the world’s biggest nationalist database.

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HOW DID THIS NEW VARIANT ARISE?

The coronavirus mutates arsenic it spreads and galore caller variants, including those with worrying familial changes, often conscionable dice out. Scientists show COVID-19 sequences for mutations that could marque the illness much transmissible oregon deadly, but they can’t find that simply by looking astatine the virus.

Peacock said the variant “may person evolved successful idiosyncratic who was infected but could past not wide the virus, giving the microorganism the accidental to genetically evolve,” successful a script akin to however experts deliberation the alpha variant — which was archetypal identified successful England — besides emerged, by mutating successful an immune-compromised person.

ARE TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS JUSTIFIED?

Depends connected who you ask.

Israel is banning foreigners from entering the state and Morocco stopped each incoming planetary aerial travel. Scores of countries successful Europe, North America, Africa and beyond restricted flights from confederate Africa.

Given the caller accelerated emergence successful COVID-19 successful South Africa, restricting question from the portion is “prudent” and would bargain authorities much time, said Neil Ferguson, an infectious diseases adept astatine Imperial College London.

But WHO noted that specified restrictions are often constricted successful their effect and urged countries to support borders open.

South Africa’s authorities said the state was being treated unfairly due to the fact that it has precocious genomic sequencing and could observe the variant quicker and asked different countries to reconsider the question bans.

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AP Medical Writer Maria Cheng reported from London.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives enactment from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely liable for each content.