How COVID is different from common flu? WHO on symptoms, new variants. Read here
Premium- There is no guarantee the sequels of Omicron will cause milder illness or that the existing vaccine will work against them, experts said
For the past week, World Health Organisation (WHO) has been maintaining that COVID-19 is not a common cold. And pointing out how the two are different, Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's COVID-19 Technical Lead, pointed out that COVID doesn’t yet have seasonality and this virus evolves differently.
Further, she had asserted that as of now, the global health agency still does not have “predictability" for coronavirus as they have for influenza. This comes as Omicron cases fill hospitals around the world.
While speaking on the topic last week, she had said coronavirus is still evolving. Hence, WHO still does not have the same predictability, (like the way the UN health body has for influenza), on what will the next variant look like.
This comes days after experts have opined that Omicron won't be the last version of the coronavirus to worry the world.
Scientists are yet to predict how the next variants will be or how they might affect the pandemic, reported news agency AP, but they say there is no guarantee the sequels of Omicron will cause milder illness or that existing vaccines will work against them. "The faster Omicron spreads, the more opportunities there are for mutation, potentially leading to more variants," said Leonardo Martinez, an infectious disease epidemiologist at Boston University.
Last week, Kerkhove had reiterated, “As Omicron enters and circulates among vulnerable populations, we will see increase in hospitalisations and deaths. So please treat this virus as seriously as it needs to be treated."
“The narrative that it's the common cold is not true. The narrative that it is just mild is not true. So we have to really fight against it. It’s not the time to give up." She also said that coronavirus is not an endemic yet.
Last week, WHO's technical brief on the variant pointed out, The overall risk related to Omicron remains very high for a number of reasons. First, the global risk of COVID-19 remains very high overall. Second, current data indicate that Omicron has a significant growth advantage over Delta, leading to rapid spread in the community,
The rapid rise infections can lead to increase in hospitalizations, may pose overwhelming demands on health care systems and lead to significant morbidity, particularly in vulnerable populations, it said
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