Coronavirus Omicron Variant: An Update

In an interview with Medindia, Dr. Subramanian Swaminathan, a specialist in infectious diseases, talks about the rising cases of Omicron variant of coronavirus.

Highlights:

Scientists are scrambling to gather more data on the new Omicron variant to understand how dangerous it is in terms of transmission and severity
Scientists are finding whether the current vaccines will be effective against the variant
As long as vaccine inequity is not addressed, the world can’t think of defeating the coronavirus pandemic and restoring normalcy

Highlights From the Interview with Dr. Subramaniam Swaminathan, a Specialist in Infectious Diseases

No country, community, or individual is safe until everyone worldwide, is safe. The emergence of Omicron, a new variant of coronavirus, has again brought the spotlight on how unprecedented the pandemic is and the precarious situation we’re all in.

COVID in Children | Guidelines for Management of COVID-19 in Children
Covid-19 virus has affected many children during the second wave. Many factors play a role in COVID in children and the management of COVID in children. Therefore, it is highly essential for parents to know and understand the symptoms in children.

‘‘We may have come to think that the pandemic is over, but the virus is not over with us yet’. – Dr. Subramanian Swaminathan’
Read More..

What is Omicron Variant?

The World Health Organization has designated Omicron – the B.1.1.529 lineage of SARS-CoV-2 as a Variant of Concern – leading to fears of another global surge in cases. The virus is present in the ecosystem, continuously evolving and mutating. Omicron multiplies 70 times faster than delta in human airways.

Post-COVID Syndrome
Post-COVID complications are the conditions that develop weeks after recovering from COVID-19

Symptoms of Omicron:

The symptoms of Omicron vary from mild to severe such as:

Fever ranging from mild to severe, Cough
Body pain and a few more depending upon the response of the patient's immune system to the virus.

Covid Pandemic: How Parents can Help Kids Deal with Back-to-School Anxiety
Understanding the role of the covid pandemic on back-to-school anxiety and children's mental health can help prepare parents deal with their child's anxiety.

Individual-Level Management of Omicron Virus

The Omicron virus is hitting the nation faster and symptoms must not be mistaken for normal flu. On finding similar symptoms mentioned above

One must isolate themselves
Get the test done immediately, especially among patients with pre-existing health conditions like diabetes, kidney problems.
Witnessing first and second waves, there is an influx of information among people, and a certain set of drugs are available which were used for treating patients infected with the virus. But considering an important fact, that response of every patient’s immune system is different; hence before taking medicines other than paracetamol and vitamin C, one must consult the doctor.

COVID Vaccination for Pregnant Women
The Indian Government has approved Covid-19 vaccination of pregnant women, who are to be counselled and informed regarding the risks and benefits of the vaccines.

What is the Effect of Vaccination?

The symptoms of Omicron vary from mild to severe. The severity or need for oxygen seems less probably because of the massive vaccination drive in the nation. The death and hospitalization rates are significantly low as compared to the last waves. Also, taking lessons from the previous waves our capacity building has been relatively high.

Vaccination doesn’t prevent the virus, but it reduces the severity.
Double dose vaccination prevents the severity by 50%, and booster dose or precaution dose prevents severity by 90%.
The rate of hospitalization or death seems to be far less for larger masses that have been vaccinated.
95% of people admitted in hospitals who need oxygen are the ones not vaccinated.

Special Care for the Population not Vaccinated

The population who are not vaccinated, especially the kids, must be taken special care. In the current pandemic wave, we have seen kids in the age group 15 or 18 years of age and with pre-existing health conditions at an increased risk.

Omicron, the RNA virus, is a mutating virus and vaccination is the only protection against the mutating virus.

Source-Medindia