UK (Washington Insider Magazine) -After the unprecedented events of the past two years, the hopes of individuals around the world plummeted upon the announcement of the newly-found Omicron variant that had risen to be the dominant strain in South Africa – seemingly overnight.
The strain quickly spread to other continents in the East, as well as the US at what has now been deemed a super-spreader event – at New York’s anime convention, hosting over 50,000 people from around the world. One of the attendees was found to have the Omicron strain but was unaware, spreading it to potentially thousands based on the latest spread data and research that has been released.
Scientists and officials around the world went to work, mapping for the new variant and predicting a winter of illness, hospitalizations, and death.
In a holiday miracle, the latest data from the UK Health and Security Agency has found that Omicron is 31-45% less likely to result in A & E visits, and even less likely to result in hospitalization. This is not the case for the original strain of CoVID-19, or the more recent Delta variation.
While this can seem encouraging to citizens in desperate need of good news over the past few years, NHS officials are warning people to maintain their precautionary measures, encouraging masks, vaccinations, and distancing as the holidays approach.
The lower rates of serious complication does appear promising that normalcy may soon be upon us, but in reality, it is likely buying researchers additional time to find a new cure, preventative measure, or vaccination formulation that will be effective over the new strain.
This also points to the ability of the virus to adapt and overcome in rapid succession, leading many to wonder if this entire pandemic is the result of bio-weaponization gone wrong. This virus mutates far faster and in a more virulent manner than others like it, such as the Swine flu pandemic of nearly a decade prior.
UKHSA entities have confirmed across the UK that vaccinations, at this point in development, are not effective when it comes to stopping the spread of the most recent variant. Much to the public’s dismay, they’ve also communicated that the efficacy of boosters and vaccines have been proven to grow less effective over time, with immunity declining less than 10 weeks after initial immunization, according to governmental sources.
Researchers are also bracing for worse news as Omicron wears on. At the moment, research is being conducted given the extremely limited numbers that have been made available due to current cases. Because these are significantly lower than other variant iterations, conclusions from this research pool may be considerably limited and be dynamic over time.
For this reason, governmental agencies throughout the EU, Asian, and American countries have been urging residents to be more cautious than before – an unwelcome announcement given the level of scrutiny and fear the collective world has endured over the last two years.
Developments and research continue to occur surrounding the Omicron variant.
