Amid rising global concerns over the new Covid-19 variant B.1.1529- Omicron, the World Health Organisation has designated it as a ‘variant of concern’. It was first detected in Africa’s Botswana. Alarmed by the announcement, several countries with paralyzed economies have announced fresh travel curbs to contain the spread of the virus.
India’s well-known microbiologist and virologist, professor Gagandeep Kang told India Today that the new variant could be more transmissible and could escape immunity. She pointed out that the new variant, Omicron could spread to many other countries and said, “Since we have the first identification on November 9, we already have a good sense of sequence data. We know that this is a strain that has mutations, unlike the constellations that have been seen previously. So there are chances that it will spread more easily, and some chances that it may be able to evade the immune response.”
It is very possible that this virus may be in many more places than have been detected so far, she added.
Further stating that the clinical data on the new coronavirus variant will be available in the next two weeks, she added that experts will further understand the impact of this variant.
Reacting to the immediate and widespread travel ban, Kang emphasized that a travel ban is not the solution. She further told India Today that quarantine and tracking of those who might be possibly infected should be top priority.
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