We all have been mulling over the possibilities of how the COVID-19 pandemic would come to an end. There has to be something that will finally stop this never-ending ordeal impacting the world since 2020. And, what if that something is one of the coronavirus variants itself? Over the last few weeks, many people have been wondering whether Omicron would be the end of this pandemic?
A study from South Africa has given some signs of optimism at a time when Omicron is sweeping the world. The study says Omicron could cut future severity of the disease while protecting against the deadly Delta variant.
Led by Alex Sigal of the Africa Health Research Institute, this study is an update to the one released in late December. “We have an update to our study which found enhancement of Delta immunity with #Omicron infection. We were able to add study participants to see more clearly the effect of vaccination,” he said in a Tweet.
While some experts have expressed optimistic views regarding Omicron’s impact on the pandemic, others have maintained that it’s just another variant of concern. Some say the Omicron’s rapid spread and reduced severity could lead to some shift in the course of the pandemic. However, the World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasised this week that COVID-19 is “nowhere near over”.
The chief medical adviser to the U.S. president, Anthony Fauci, said it’s still too early to predict that the fast-spreading Omicron will shift the COVID-19 pandemic to endemic. The study from South Africa offers evidence to help scientists make such predictions. If Omicron is indeed less severe, the study suggests that the course of the pandemic may shift to become “less disruptive to individuals and society”.
The study took samples from 23 individuals infected with Omicron between November and December. The laboratory-based analysis found that individuals previously infected with Delta variant could contract omicron, while the ones who caught Omicron could not catch Delta.
This is particularly true for those vaccinated against the disease. If this hypothesis holds true for unvaccinated people remains unclear. The initial findings suggested that the Omicron has the potential to displace the globally present Delta variant and reduce the risk of reinfection from the latter.
The research paper, which is yet to be peer-reviewed, reads: “The implications of such displacement would depend on whether Omicron is indeed less pathogenic than Delta. If so, then the incidence of COVID-19 severe disease would be reduced, and the infection may shift to become less disruptive to individuals and society.”
Data from countries, including South Africa—which first reported this variant—highlights Omicron also reduces the risk of developing severe disease. UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) analysis revealed that people getting infected with Omicron are 50% to 70% less likely to need hospital care as compared to previous COVID-19 variants.
Global health experts like Somya Swaminathan warn that getting vaccinated is still important as the risk of catching infection still remains high, especially among unvaccinated individuals.
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