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The Emergence of Omicron: Challenging Times Are Here Again!
Singhal, Tanu.
  • Singhal T; Department of Pediatrics and Infectious Disease, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital and Medical Research Institute, Mumbai, Maharashtra, 400053, India. tanusinghal@yahoo.com.
Indian J Pediatr ; 89(5): 490-496, 2022 05.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1782955
ABSTRACT
COVID-19 has been reported to have caused more than 286 million cases and 5.4 million deaths till date. COVID variants have appeared at regular intervals-alpha, beta, gamma, delta and now omicron. 'Omicron' is driving the current surge of cases in most countries including India and is poised to replace 'delta' the world over. This variant with more than 50 mutations is phylogenetically very different from other variants. The omicron variant spreads rapidly with an average doubling time of two days. The disease so far has been mild as compared with delta. Though previous infection and vaccination offer little or no protection against infection with omicron, they do seem to partially protect against hospitalization and severe disease. Booster vaccinations have not made any notable impact on the spread of omicron and have further worsened global vaccine equity. The indirect consequences of omicron from lockdowns, restrictions, travel bans, economic losses, health care worker infections and overwhelming of health care facilities are likely to be enormous. The direct effects of omicron on children are expected to be mild like with the previous variants. However, the indirect effects on child mental, physical, and social health may be considerable owing to school closures, missed vaccinations, neglect of other diseases, etc. It is, therefore, imperative that governments take rational decisions to navigate the world through this latest crisis.
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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: COVID-19 Type of study: Observational study Topics: Vaccines / Variants Limits: Child / Humans Language: English Journal: Indian J Pediatr Year: 2022 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: S12098-022-04077-4

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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: COVID-19 Type of study: Observational study Topics: Vaccines / Variants Limits: Child / Humans Language: English Journal: Indian J Pediatr Year: 2022 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: S12098-022-04077-4