9 hours ago
The initial reports of Corona’s new variant Omicron (B.1.1.529) are very shocking. WHO has described it as a variant of concern. The. 90% of the daily cases found in 3 provinces of Africa are of this variant, which was only 1% 15 days ago. This is what scares scientists the most. Because, by far the fastest spreading variant was the delta, causing the third wave in the world. Its first case has been found in the African country of Botswana.
Now there is a risk of a new wave from Omicron, as it is spreading 7 times faster than Delta. Not only this, it is also getting mutated fast. It has already had 32 mutations before it was caught. In view of this, all 27 countries of the European Union have banned flights from 7 African countries. Here, no case of the new variant has been found in India. Nevertheless, travelers coming from 12 countries including Singapore, Mauritius will be thoroughly screened.
In the 3 provinces of South Africa, 90% of cases are from Omicron, 15 days ago it was 1%.
The situation of corona in India is under control.
On Thursday, 10,549 new infections were found in the country, which is 15.6% more than the day before. There were 488 deaths. Of these, 384 occurred in Kerala. The active patients in the country are 1,10,133, which is 0.32% of the total patients and is the lowest in 539 days. Less than 20 thousand new cases are being received in the country continuously for 49 days.
Increasing cases of corona virus in the world:
- Belgium: 23,350 corona cases registered in a day, highest number of cases in a day after October 2020.
- Switzerland: 8,585 new cases were registered in a day. This is the biggest gain in a single day since November 2020.
- Germany: 73,887 new corona cases have been found in a single day. This is the biggest gain ever in a day.
- ItalyAfter May 1, the highest number of 12,448 corona cases were registered in a single day.
- France32,591 new cases were reported in a day. This is an increase of 61% from the previous week and the biggest single-day growth since April.
6 important questions and answers related to the new variant:
1. When was the variant first found?
Found in Botswana on 11 November. After that found in Hong Kong, Israel, Belgium.
2. At what speed is it spreading now?
very fast. University College London Prof. According to Deenan Pillai, genome sequencing of only a few samples has been done. Therefore, its actual speed may be higher.
3.Why are experts worried?
Viruses use spike proteins to enter human cells. The vaccine prepares the body to recognize these spikes and neutralize them. The spike protein of the B.1.1529 variant has 32 variants. This worries scientists, as the mutation escapes the body’s immune system and causes the next wave.
4. What is the risk of the new variant?
There is very little information about it right now. It can reach through foreign travelers.
5. When will the correct information about its danger be known?
It takes a week for scientists to understand the nature of the virus. It may take several weeks for good data on the immune response to the virus.
6. Can it be stopped earlier?
There is no evidence yet that B.1.1529 spread in the same way as Delta spread. This can also be limited by taking timely steps and vaccination.
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