Geneva: 77 countries have now reported cases of Omicron, and it is probably in most countries, even if it hasn’t been detected yet. “Omicron is spreading at a rate we have not seen with any previous variant,” Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told mediapersons here today. He warned that even if Omicron does cause less severe disease, the sheer number of cases could once again overwhelm unprepared health systems. “We’re concerned that people are dismissing Omicron as mild. Surely, we have learned by now that we underestimate this virus at our peril. Countries can – and must – prevent the spread of Omicron with measures that work today,” he said.
Dr. Ghebreyesus said that evolving evidence suggests a small decline in the effectiveness of vaccines against severe disease and death, and a decline in preventing mild disease or infection.
The emergence of Omicron has prompted some countries to roll out booster programmes for their entire adult populations, even while there is lack of evidence for the effectiveness of boosters against this variant. WHO expressed its concerns over such programmes and warned that this will repeat the vaccine hoarding seen this year, and exacerbate inequity.
“It’s clear that as we move forward, boosters could play an important role, especially for those at highest risk of severe disease death. Let me be very clear: WHO is not against boosters. We’re against inequity. Our main concern is to save lives, everywhere.It’s a question of prioritization. Who gets what vaccines, in what order?” Dr. Ghebreyesus said.
According to him the order mattered – Giving boosters to groups at low risk of severe disease or death simply endangers the lives of those at high risk who are still waiting for their primary doses because of supply constraints. On the other hand, giving additional doses to people at high risk can save more lives than giving primary doses to those at low risk.
“Together, we will save the most lives by making sure health workers, older people and other at-risk groups receive their primary doses of vaccines,” he said.
There remains a vast gap in rates of vaccination between countries. 41 countries have still not been able to vaccinate 10% of their populations, and 98 countries have not reached 40%. In most countries, those being hospitalized and dying are those who have not been vaccinated.
“If we end inequity, we end the pandemic. If we allow inequity to continue, we allow the pandemic to continue. So the priority must be to vaccinate the unvaccinated, even in countries with most access to vaccines. It’s really quite simple: the priority in every country, and globally, must be to protect the least protected, not the most protected,” he said.
The D-G however clarified that vaccines alone will not get any country out of this crisis. “It’s not vaccines instead of masks. It’s not vaccines instead of distancing. It’s not vaccines instead of ventilation or hand hygiene. Do it all. Do it consistently. Do it well,” he said.
Vaccines, according to him, were tools that had the greatest impact when they were used to protect those who were most at risk, in all countries. He informed that in the past 10 weeks, COVAX had shipped more vaccines than in the first 9 months of the year combined.
“Although we expect further improvements in supply, there are no guarantees, and the hard-won gains we have made are fragile,” he said.
– global bihari bureau
