Ominous Omicron Variant; Underestimated and Unprecedented

By Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer

#TurksandCaicos, December 15, 2021 – Across the globe scientists are warning that Omicfon is much more serious than it looks. The latest being the chief of the UK’s Health Security Agency (UKHSA) Jenny Harries. Harries says that the variant is the UK’s ‘most significant threat’ since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

The Omicron variant which was discovered in late November and caused a slew of travel bans against southern African nations has now made its way to at least 77 countries worldwide.  Bans have since been dropped, deemed pointless with community spread of the variant confirmed in major countries like the US and UK.

Initial tests had shown that the variant was milder than the delta variant but this may have lulled countries into complacency. In the United Kingdom specifically the UKHSA has warned nationals to brace for ‘staggering’ case numbers. Speaking to the Commons Transport Committee virtually Harris said, “The numbers that we see on data over the next few days will be quite staggering compared to the rate of growth that we’ve seen in cases for previous variants.”

Harris also mentioned that while boosters did increase immunity to the Omicron variant the level of protection from that booster was lower than the protection the same boosters offered against the Delta variant. She warned “This could have a very significant impact on our health services.”

The Chief of the World Health Organization Tedros Ghebreyesus held similar sentiments in a Press conference recently.

He said that not enough was being done to manage Omicron.

He told the press that Omicron was spreading at a rate they had never seen before, calling the spread ‘Unprecedented.’  He said that he suspected the variant was in countries that did not yet have the capability to test for it.

He stressed that Omicron could not be underestimated saying, “Surely, we have learned by now that we underestimate this virus at our peril. Even if Omicron does cause less severe disease, the sheer number of cases could once again overwhelm unprepared health systems,”

At least three of the 77 countries that have confirmed cases are Caribbean countries, those being Trinidad, Cuba and Bermuda.

Following the Caribbean Public Health Agency’s (CARPHA) announcement that it would not step in and Caribbean nations would be allowed to set their travel bans (or not) as they see fit it is unclear yet what Omicron means for the region.

Travel restrictions and protective measures vary from island to island but one common thread is that health systems in the Caribbean are just on the path to recovery and the Omicron variant might be ominous enough to derail that progress.