Omicron is Now the Most Dominant COVID Variant in South Africa | UK Approves Drug That Appears To Be Effective

The new Omicron variant is now the most dominant COVID-19 strain in South Africa, where the variant was first detected.

The African nation is said to be beginning its fourth wave of cases ever since the pandemic started. There has already been a slight increase in hospital admissions in the country.

Not much is known yet about the Omicron variant ever since it was first detected. According to the World Health Organization, early studies of the new strain show that the risk of re-infection is higher with the Omicron variant.

Omicron is the Most Dominant Variant in South Africa

Omicron is now the most dominant COVID-19 variant in South Africa, according to a report by the BBC. South Africa is the first country to detect the new COVID variant.

"Some 8,500 new Covid infections were registered in the latest daily figures," the BBC said in its report. The BBC noted that the latest daily figures were double the figures from the previous day.

The report also adds that the new infections are seen as part of the beginning of the African nation's fourth COVID-19 wave. The country has already seen a slight spike in hospital admissions.

Omicron Variant: What We Know so Far

Nothing much has yet been confirmed about the newest COVID-19 variant ever since it was detected in South Africa. According to a previous report here on Tech Times, South Africa, Botswana, and Hong Kong were three of the first to record cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

According to the BBC report, Saudi Arabia, India, and the United Arab Emirates are the latest countries to have detected the Omicron variant. Other countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States have also recorded their first cases of the new strain.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated Omicron as a variant of concern. Per the BBC report, "early evidence suggests it has a higher re-infection risk."

There have been concerns that the existing COVID-19 vaccines are not effective against the new variant. Moderna boss Stephane Bancel has said that he believes this to be the case.

COVID-19 Vaccination in Africa

According to a separate BBC report, countries in the African continent have been able to get COVID-19 vaccines thanks to donations and bilateral deals, among others.

The report notes that the Global Vaccine Alliance that African countries are usually provided with little notice when vaccine donations are made. The vaccines provided also have short shelf lives.

According to the BBC, several countries in the continent have had to throw away vaccines because they have already exceeded their shelf lives.

Aside from the uneven supply, the low vaccination rate has also been blamed on COVID vaccine misinformation, which has sparked fear about the safety of the vaccines.

U.K. Approves Drug That May Be Effective Against Omicron

The U.K. has approved the use of a drug "which the manufacturers say appears to be effective against the new Omicron variant," according to a report by Al Jazeera. The drug is called sotrovimab and is also otherwise known as Xevudy.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said that it found the drug to be effective against the risk of death and hospitalization for patients with mild to moderate infections that run the risk of developing into more severe disease.

According to the Al Jazeera report, a single dose of sotrovimab reduces the risk mentioned earlier by 79%. This applies to adults who are symptomatic and are high-risk.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Isabella James