“The Omicron COVID wave is staring India in the eye,” tweeted Indian-American epidemiology professor-researcher Bhramar Mukherjee on Thursday. If we go by the recent COVID data, India is seeing a gradual surge both in the number of daily COVID cases, as well as that of Omicron. With 13,154 new coronavirus cases recorded on Thursday, the daily cases jumped 43% as compared to the previous day. Since the first case was detected on December 2, the number of people infected with the new Omicron strain has risen to 961 in less than a month. This clearly shows that following a brief lull, the country is seeing a rise in COVID, along with the heavily-mutated and transmissible Omicron variant.
“India is not an exception in the world,” Mukherjee said in her tweet about the possible Omicron wave in India. “I am scared,” she says, “when I am hearing from my friends ‘no worries, this one is mild,’” she adds. In a Twitter thread, she posted on Thursday, the researcher, who is a professor of Epidemiology at the University of Michigan, enumerated “five reasons you may not want to get Omi-Covid.”
Why You Should Protect Yourself From Omicron COVID Infection
In a series of seven tweets, professor Bhramar Mukherjee said this about why you should steer clear of getting infected with the Omicron strain of COVID-19:
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1# Fully Vaccinated, Previously Infected At Risk
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Preliminary data on Omicron shows that the variant is capable of evading the immune response generated by vaccination and past infection.
- Major vaccine makers such as Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, etc, have said they saw a dip in the immune response against Omicron in fully-vaccinated individuals.
- Not just that, the variant of concern has been shown to infect those who were previously infected with COVID-19.
- Vaccine boosters have, however, shown to work well against this new variant.
“Many people in India have had both vaccination and covid, this may be helpful but we do not have data yet,” Mukherjee said in her tweet.
Meanwhile, the Union government has announced booster shots for frontline and medical workers, as well as, those over the age of 60 and with co-morbidities. This will begin on January 10.
The Omicron wave is staring India in the eye. Expectedly so,India is not an exception in the world.
I am scared when I am hearing from my friends "no worries, this one is mild."
Here are five reasons you may not want to get Omi-Covid.
Let us try to prevent COVID 2022. 1/7 — Bhramar Mukherjee (@BhramarBioStat) December 30, 2021
Also read: Omicron Infection May Protect Against Delta COVID Variant: Study
2# Stress On Medical System
If anything, the second COVID wave exposed the debilitated condition of India’s healthcare system, in which people were forced to scramble for hospital beds, medicines, and even medical oxygen. “With a lot of people falling sick over a short period of time, even if a small fraction needs medical care, the burden will stress the system,” the professor said in her tweet. This will, in turn, affect the care for other diseases. “We know disruption in care leads to mortality,” Mukerjee wrote, adding that “the cost of Covid is not just Covid.”
3# Don’t Know About Breakthrough Long COVID
Long COVID is when a person experiences disease symptoms way past recovery. Some common symptoms include:
- Fatigue
- Concentration and memory issues
- Brain fog
- Depression and anxiety
“We do not know much about breakthrough long COVID. Particularly in people with pre-existing conditions,” said Mukherjee. “Let us protect the vulnerable,” she added.
4# Prevent More Mutations
Omicron is said to be the most mutated COVID strain, with over 50 mutations in the spike protein. “Let us prevent more mutations from happening,” the professor said in another tweet. “What we do, affects others and the future. Our healthcare workers are humans,” she added.
Also read: Booster Dose's Efficacy Against Symptomatic Omicron Wanes Within 10 Weeks: UK Data
5# Kids, Young Adults Not Vaccinated Yet
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India is yet to begin vaccinating those under the age of 18. “The world data shows excellent recovery rates for children and young adults but again, prevention is better,” the professor said. “Nearly 40% population in India is below 18. That is a large number. Nearly half a billion,” she added. India has now opened vaccination for kids, and those between the ages of 15 and 18 can get vaccinated starting from January 3.
Summing up, she said, “no one wants lockdowns. There is a middle road. Choose prudence over panic.” Hence,
- Wear masks
- Avoid large indoor gatherings
- Interact in well-ventilated spaces
- Use home tests before an event
- Get vaccinated, as “the vaccines are still holding up against severe infections.”
On the question of when the pandemic will end, the professor wrote that the pandemics don’t die overnight, but in a “damped oscillatory manner.” “Covid's curveballs and end game,” she added.
Photo Credit: Pixabay