WHO: Omicron affects upper respiratory tract, causes severe pneumonia but mild symptoms

The World Health Organization [WHO] Tuesday warned that more evidence is emerging that the Omicron coronavirus strain B.1.1.529, a variant of concern, is affecting the upper respiratory tract among the COVID-19 patients while it is causing milder symptoms than previous variants. "We are seeing more and more studies pointing out that Omicron is infecting the upper part of the body. Unlike the other ones, which could cause severe pneumonia," WHO incident manager Abdi Mahamud told Geneva-based journalists. The “good news” said the WHO official, is that the strain causes mild symptoms but its extremely high transmissibility means that it would become dominant within weeks and cause widespread coronavirus infections. 

Omicron will pose a threat in countries where a high portion of the population remained unvaccinated against the novel SARS-CoV-2, the WHO reiterated on Tuesday, as many countries including India mull booster shots to enhance the protection. The center stressed in a statement earlier that its decision on the need and timing of the booster dosages will be governed based on scientific evidence and studies related to India’s condition apart from global data. 

Scientists worldwide, though, have expressed concerns about the new variant’s high number of mutations on the protein spike that makes the variant super contagious. “What we’re worried more about is the transmissibility and the immune-evasion capabilities,” Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease doctor who is a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security told NPR. The bigger concern, scientists have said, is how quickly the Omicron variant, with its high number of mutations spreads and that the unvaccinated people will be at a higher risk of getting COVID-19.

Separately, the WHO expressed concerns about breakthrough infections or reinfections among the doubly jabbed population and in healthy people. “The antigen we use in the vaccines is specifically the spike protein, so there’s always a concern that the more mutations you see in the spike protein, the greater the possibility that it could be able to evade the immunity provided by the vaccine if it’s different enough,” Stephen Morse, a professor of epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health warned in a statement to NPR. 

Global vaccination targets 'not met' by countries: WHO

The World Health Organization [WHO] Tuesday warned that more evidence is emerging that the Omicron coronavirus strain B.1.1.529, a variant of concern, is affecting the upper respiratory tract among the COVID-19 patients while it is causing milder symptoms than previous variants. "We are seeing more and more studies pointing out that Omicron is infecting the upper part of the body. Unlike the other ones, which could cause severe pneumonia," WHO incident manager Abdi Mahamud told Geneva-based journalists. The “good news” said the WHO official, is that the strain causes mild symptoms but its extremely high transmissibility means that it would become dominant within weeks and cause widespread coronavirus infections. 

Omicron will pose a threat in countries where a high portion of the population remained unvaccinated against the novel SARS-CoV-2, the WHO reiterated on Tuesday, as many countries including India mull booster shots to enhance the protection. The centre stressed in a statement earlier that its decision on the need and timing of the booster dosages will be governed based on scientific evidence and studies related to India’s condition apart from global data. 

Scientists worldwide, though, have expressed concerns about the new variant’s high number of mutations on the protein spike that makes the variant super contagious. “What we’re worried more about is the transmissibility and the immune-evasion capabilities,” Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease doctor who is a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Centre for Health Security told NPR. The bigger concern, scientists have said, is how quickly the Omicron variant, with its high number of mutations spreads and that the unvaccinated people will be at a higher risk of getting COVID-19.

Separately, the WHO expressed concerns about breakthrough infections or reinfections among the doubly jabbed population and in healthy people. “The antigen we use in the vaccines is specifically the spike protein, so there’s always a concern that the more mutations you see in the spike protein, the greater the possibility that it could be able to evade the immunity provided by the vaccine if it’s different enough,” Stephen Morse, a professor of epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health warned in a statement to NPR.