World Health Organization (WHO) Chief Scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan on Monday said that compared to the delta variant of Covid-19, reinfections in the Omicron variant – 90 days after the virus first strikes are three times more common.
Swaminathan said, “We need to take a comprehensive and science-based approach to vaccination. It is the same virus we are dealing with and hence measures to protect it will be the same. If we need a variant vaccine, it will depend on how much ‘immune escape’ the variant has.”
Swaminathan said currently there is not much rise in the cases and increase in the hospitalisation. The severity of the disease can ascertained by studying the hospitalisation rates after two to three weeks.
Dr Swaminathan pointed out that not many vaccines are available for children currently and only a handful of countries have started vaccinations for kids and warned at a potential rise in cases due to it.
“Not many vaccines available for children and very few countries vaccinating children. Children and the unvaccinated may get more infections when cases rise. We are still waiting for data to conclude omicron variant’s impact on children,”she further added.
Cases in South Africa are rising fast with omicron variant. Reports show that more children are getting infected by this strain in that country. South Africa is also testing more.
Big data from the US has shown that vaccines continue to have strong protection against death, she said. “There is inequity in vaccine coverage globally. The WHO’s Covax facility has a large advance purchase order for Covishield so the Covishield supplies for WHO’s Covax facility will increase now. Its covax facility has a contract for Covovax as well.”