Omicron More Dangerous For Kids? WHO Chief Scientist Makes Big Statement

Even as the COVID-19 Omicron variant is fast spreading across the globe, the chances of reinfections in the Omicron variant are thrice more common than the Delta variant.

Speaking to a leading news channel, World Health Organization (WHO) Chief Scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan on Monday said, “Reinfections 90 days after infection are three times more common in Omicron compared to delta. (These are) early days to decipher the clinical features of omicron infection.

There is a lag between the rise in cases and the rise in hospitalisation. We must wait for two to three weeks to study hospitalisation rates to know how severe this disease is,” she said, adding: “Cases in South Africa are rising fast with omicron variant. Reports show that more children are getting infected by this strain in that country. South Africa is also testing more.”

Notably, she also said that children and those unvaccinated are at potential risk when cases rise.

She pointed out that not many vaccines are available for children and very few countries are vaccinating children. “We are still waiting for data to conclude omicron variant’s impact on children,” she said.

“We want more data sharing in a pandemic and we need to support countries that are disclosing variants and data. We need a coordinated agreement among countries to not put knee jerk reactions,” she said.

The WHO’s SAGE Committee will assess Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for Covovax in a meeting on December 16. “The European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) are also assessing the Novavax vaccine this month. (We) have requested the vaccine manufacturers to provide visibility on vaccine supplies. The manufacturers have in the past prioritised other orders over Covax and hence they need prior visibility on supplies,” she said.