Existing COVID vaccines effective against severe Omicron cases: Australia's health chief

Australia's Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Paul Kelly stated on Friday that existing COVID-19 vaccines are effective in preventing serious illness from the Omicron variant. He also added that existing vaccines aren't as effective in preventing transmission and mild illness as they are with other strains, Bloomberg reported.  According to Kelly, three vaccine doses for the Omicron variant are nearly as efficient as two doses for the delta variant in preventing transmission and severe disease. He also stressed the necessity of booster doses in preventing an outbreak in Australia.

"That's one of the reasons why we are witnessing an increase in cases but not so much in hospitalizations or other forms of serious disease. That is precisely what we are seeing in Australia," he said at a media briefing as reported by the news outlet.  Meanwhile, Lieutenant General John Frewen, vaccine rollout chief, said that vaccine shortages at some Australian surgeries and pharmacies are only temporary owing to the recent acceleration of the booster programme. He said that the new booster programme has made people eligible to take the shot after five months instead of six months after their second dose. "The amount of supplies is not a worry," Frewen remarked at the briefing. 

On Friday, Australia's most populous state, New South Wales reported a record 2,213 new COVID-19 cases - the highest number since the pandemic began. The new peak followed after the state recorded 1,742 cases on Thursday (Dec. 16), breaking the previous record set in September, reported The Associated Press (AP). Meanwhile, cases in Victoria, the country's second-most populous state, were stable at 1,510 on Friday, with 386 in hospitals and 82 active ICU cases. However, earlier this week, Australia's Prime Minister, Scott Morrison stated that the country will not go back to the strict COVID-19 due to the Omicron variant. 

The pandemic is far from over: WHO

It is pertinent to mention here that Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia Region, stated that the new COVID-19 strain appears to be spreading quicker than any other variant.  She also cautioned that it should not be taken lightly. She went on to say that the emergence of the new variant proves that the pandemic is far from over, reported ANI. The new variant has been categorised as a "Variant of Concern" by the World Health Organization. According to a statistical analysis undertaken by South African scientists, the Omicron variant could overtake Delta as the most dominant variant by 2022. 

Image: Pixabay/ Twitter/@_PHAA_