WHO's top scientist says Omicron could displace Delta

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World Health Organization (WHO) Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan attends a news conference in Geneva
World Health Organization (WHO) Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan attends a press conference organised by the Geneva Association of United Nations Correspondents (ACANU) amid the COVID-19 outbreak, caused by the novel coronavirus, at the WHO headquarters in Geneva Switzerland July 3, 2020. Fabrice Coffrini/Pool via REUTERS
  • Omicron highly infectious, S.African cases doubling every day
  • Swaminathan says not clear yet whether Omicron is milder
  • Vaccine may not need to be adapted for Omicron
  • Unclear where Omicron emerged, S Africa unfairly punished
  • "Clear relationship between inequity and development of variants"

Dec 3 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization's chief scientist told the Reuters Next conference on Friday the Omicron variant could become dominant because it is highly transmissible, but that a different vaccine may not be needed.

Soumya Swaminathan also said it was too early to say whether Omicron is milder than other variants of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 and cast doubt over its origin, saying it was far from certain it emerged in southern Africa.

"It is possible that it could become (the) dominant variant," Swaminathan said, adding that it was however impossible to predict. The Delta variant now accounts for 99% of infections globally, she said.

Scientists in the European Union and Australia are forecasting that Omicron may account for more infections than Delta within a few months. read more

She said Omicron "was highly transmissible" and cited data from South Africa showing the number of cases doubling daily.

"How worried should we be? We need to be prepared and cautious, not panic, because we're in a different situation to a year ago," Swaminathan said in an interview.

She said the WHO could not at this stage say that Omicron was a mild variant, even if many infections so far have been associated with less severe symptoms or no symptoms at all.

There is not yet conclusive evidence about Omicron's impact on the effectiveness of antibodies.

"It does seem to be able to overcome some of the natural immunity from previous infection," the world health body's top scientist said, but added that vaccines did seem to be having an effect.

"The fact that they're not getting sick ... that means the vaccines are still providing protection and we would hope that they would continue to provide protection," Swaminathan said.

VACCINE AGAINST ALL CORONAVIRUSES?

Swaminathan was cautious about the need to upgrade existing vaccines, noting that a booster of existing shots might be enough against Omicron.

"It's possible that the vaccines will work. It's possible that you may need initially an extra dose to boost immune response," she said.

A WHO technical advisory group is trying to work out if a new type of vaccine be needed against Omicron, she added.

Speaking to Reuters Next earlier in the day, BioNTech (22UAy.DE) CEO Ugur Sahin said his company would be able to adapt its vaccine relatively quickly in response to Omicron and the next few weeks would show how urgently an upgrade was needed.

"I believe in principle at a certain timepoint we will need a new vaccine against this new variant," Sahin said.

Asked about the need for annual vaccine boosters, Swaminathan said "the WHO is preparing for all scenarios", which could include an additional dose, particularly among some age groups or vulnerable sections of the population.

But she added: "Natural infection acts as a booster."

UNKNOWN ORIGIN

Swaminathan, a qualified paediatrician from India, raised doubts about the origin of the new variant, which was first detected in southern Africa, where the highest number of cases is also being recorded.

"Where did it originate? We don't know," she said noting it could have originated in countries which do not have enough genomic sequencing.

"We may never know."

Flight bans by some countries targeting southern Africa were unfair, Swaminathan said, adding that the variant had been identified in South Africa "because of the excellent genomic sequencing and surveillance" there.

"We feel terrible that they have been punished for it."

The WHO has said travel curbs can buy time but are not the way to fight the Omicron variant, urging countries to boost healthcare capacity and vaccinate their populations. read more

Swaminathan also urged more equity in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and tests.

Asked whether the Omicron variant may not have emerged if Africa had received and administered more vaccines, she said: "Absolutely."

"There is a clear relationship between inequity in access to vaccines and the development of variants," Swaminathan said.

To watch the Reuters Next conference please register here https://reutersevents.com/events/next/

Reporting by Francesco Guarascio, Stephanie Nebehay and Josephine Mason; Writing by Keith Weir and Alexander Smith; Editing by Catherine Evans

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Thomson Reuters

Francesco leads a team of reporters in Vietnam that covers top financial and political news in the fast-growing southeast Asian country with a focus on supply chains and manufacturing investments in several sectors, including electronics, semiconductors, automotive and renewables. Before Hanoi, Francesco worked in Brussels on EU affairs. He was also part of Reuters core global team that covered the COVID-19 pandemic and participated in investigations into money laundering and corruption in Europe. He is an eager traveler, always keen to put on a backpack to explore new places.

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