Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, an epidemiologist and technical officer of the World Health Organization for the fight against Corona, said that the omicron mutant, the most recent variant classified under “of concern” by the World Health Organization, is spreading widely in all countries of the world.
Dr. Kerkhove referred to the fact that the spread of the new mutation has been detected in all areas where there are good monitoring systems for the sequence of mutations of the SARS-Cove-2 virus, and that the data indicate that there is a very sharp increase in the number of cases.
And Dr. Maria added in a televised statement, which was broadcast through the official accounts of the World Health Organization on the communication platforms, that according to the latest update of the World Health Organization, nearly 10 million cases were reported in the past seven days.
The wave of the epidemic is currently not accompanied by an increase in the number of deaths.
Dr. Kerkhove explained that there are a number of reasons behind the sharp increase, including that the mutants contained in the Omicron mutant are more able to attach to human cells more easily.
As for the second reason, according to what the technical official in charge of combating Corona in the United Nations stated, it is the so-called “immune escape”, which means that people can be exposed to infection again, and the third reason is that a mutant or micron infection infects and reproduces in the upper respiratory tract, which is different from The delta mutated and other variants, down to the original sequence of the virus that infect and replicate in the lower respiratory tract of the lungs, thus this combination of factors allowed the latest variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to spread more easily.
And Dr. Kerkhove stated that the information so far shows that the risk of developing a severe illness due to infection with an omicron mutant is less severe than the delta variable, but the huge number of infections that occur around the world is really astounding, explaining that even with the low risk of needing to enter Hospitals to receive treatment, there are still large numbers of people requiring clinical care, who have been transferred to hospitals, and this would overburden the health care system.
Dr. Kerkhove stressed that there are two steps that must be strictly adhered to, the first of which is to obtain a dose of the vaccine when the time comes or it is available, explaining that “vaccines provide incredibly protection against the risk of severe illness or death, including virus variants, whether micron or delta. These are the two variants that are currently common. It should also really be ensured that the most vulnerable groups get the vaccine in all countries.”
Dr. Kerkhove added that the second step is to ensure that there are good systems in place for detection and diagnosis, so good testing and analysis systems help any patient access the appropriate clinical care pathways so that they can receive the care they need.
Kerkhove said that each person also has a responsibility to maintain his personal safety and the safety of others, and therefore precautionary measures aimed at maintaining safety must be adhered to, on top of which is wearing appropriate protective masks, maintaining physical distance and avoiding large gatherings, noting that if it is possible to postpone Some of those gatherings, it must be the initiative to do so.
“It is really important right now to reduce exposure so that we can reduce the number of infections to a minimum, so that due to increased infection rates, it does not have a detrimental effect on the health care system, as well as other sectors,” Dr. Maria concluded.
The Covid epidemic has killed more than 5,478,486 people worldwide.
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