One of the ways the Omicron variant is different from other variants is the sheer number of mutations in the spike protein. Does this make it a super-variant?
A Soweto resident walks past a graffiti art wall educating locals about the dangers of COVID-19 in South Africa.
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Cari van Schalkwyk, South African Centre for Epidemiological Modelling & Analysis (SACEMA) ; Harry Moultrie, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, and Juliet Pulliam, South African Centre for Epidemiological Modelling & Analysis (SACEMA)
At this stage, we cannot say anything about the severity of cases with Omicron - either in primary or reinfections.
Antibodies in people’s blood seem much less able to neutralise the new variant – but these new findings should be treated with caution.
The key to rapid antigen testing is to test early in the course of COVID-19 infection, ideally several times 24 hours apart.
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Knowing when and how often to use rapid tests is key to getting an accurate picture of your COVID-19 status.
Young children are rolling up their sleeves to get vaccinated, protecting themselves against COVID-19 and helping to curb the pandemic.
(Dasantila Golemi-Kotra)
The participation of five-to-11-year-old children in vaccination programs will make 90 per cent of the population eligible to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
A researcher works with COVID-19 samples from patients.
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Careful lab work will complement public health data as researchers worldwide focus on omicron, asking questions about contagiousness, severity of disease and whether vaccines hold up against it.
Omicron may soon arrive at the border, but New Zealand hopes to keep it out of the community through border controls, testing requirements and rapid genome sequencing of any positive cases.
Vaccines are our best chance of overcoming this pandemic.
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The new omicron variant of coronavirus has a number of mutations that may require manufacturers to update vaccines. The unique attributes of mRNA vaccines make updating them fast and easy.
Just when things seemed to be getting back to COVID normal, a new variant has us worried all over again. But we can be kind to our brains and boost well-being in uncertain times.
The omicron variant possesses numerous mutations in the spike protein, the knob-like protrusions (in red) that allow the virus to invade other cells.
Juan Gaertner/Science Photo Library via Getty Images
It’s too early to say whether the newly identified omicron variant is going to overtake delta. But particular mutations in the new strain have researchers deeply concerned.
Dean Faculty of Health Sciences and Professor of Vaccinology at University of the Witwatersrand; and Director of the SAMRC Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand