The scientist in Botswana who identified omicron was saddened by the world's reaction
3 years ago

The scientist in Botswana who identified omicron was saddened by the world's reaction

NPR  

The scientist in Botswana who identified omicron was saddened by the world's reaction Enlarge this image toggle caption Leabaneng Natasha Moyo Leabaneng Natasha Moyo When the Botswanan scientists saw the sequences, they were stunned. Moyo is quick to give credit to his entire team and to scientists working simultaneously on similarly alarming sequences in South Africa, for the discovery of omicron. Sponsor Message He spoke with NPR about the identification of the new variant, travel bans, what southern Africa needs from the rest of the world and what may come next. Botswana and South Africa alerted the world to this variant, but it was found among travelers who reportedly flew in from Europe.

Africa World South Africa South Countries Scientists Sponsor Message Variant Other Countries Hiv Guinea Botswana Sequencing Scientist Sequences  hiv  botswana  world  sequences  identified  countries  africa  sequencing  worlds  variant  saddened  south  reaction  scientist  scientists  omicron

History of this topic

Whatever happened to the Botswana scientist who identified omicron — then caught it?
2 years, 4 months ago

Whatever happened to the Botswana scientist who identified omicron — then caught it?

NPR  

Whatever happened to the Botswana scientist who identified omicron — then caught it? Enlarge this image toggle caption Leabaneng Natasha Moyo Leabaneng Natasha Moyo Sikhulile Moyo led the team of scientists that first identified the omicron variant of COVID-19 in November 2021. What is unique about southern Africa, especially Botswana and South Africa, is the ability to detect these variants …

Delhi: Omicron found in 97% samples taken from Covid victims from Jan to March
2 years, 8 months ago

Delhi: Omicron found in 97% samples taken from Covid victims from Jan to March

Hindustan Times  

Ninety-seven percent of the samples taken from those who died of Covid in Delhi from January to March had the Omicron variant of coronavirus, according to government data. Overall, the Omicron variant was found in all the 504 samples analysed at genome sequencing laboratories in the capital in March. The third wave of infections driven by the Omicron variant saw …

Data | Global COVID deaths at a low as new threats loom
2 years, 8 months ago

Data | Global COVID deaths at a low as new threats loom

The Hindu  

Last week, the WHO informed that they are monitoring two new sublineages of the Omicron variant — BA.4 and BA.5. There is also a drop in the number of tests conducted across the globe Two new sub-lineages BA.4 and BA.5 are two new sublineages of the Omicron variant that the WHO is actively tracking. Worldover, deaths are at its lowest …

State finds Omicron BA.2 variant in 99% of sequenced samples in Feb. last week
2 years, 9 months ago

State finds Omicron BA.2 variant in 99% of sequenced samples in Feb. last week

The Hindu  

Special Genome Sequencing data of SARS-CoV-2 in Karnataka shows an increasing proportion of Omicron BA.2 Variant of Concern from 87% in the first week of February to 99% in the last week of the same month. According to data from the State Health Department, of the total 2,155 COVID samples sequenced during the special genome sequencing drive in February, 89.8% …

What Omicron taught us about Covid-19
2 years, 10 months ago

What Omicron taught us about Covid-19

India Today  

The Omicron variant hit the global radar in November last year when South African health authorities reported a complicated new variant to the World Health Organization. India reported the first Omicron in late November and Delhi saw its first case in December, within weeks India braced for one of the fastest jumps in cases as people feared a Delta-like situation …

In Mumbai, Omicron found in 95% of samples in latest genome sequencing
2 years, 10 months ago

In Mumbai, Omicron found in 95% of samples in latest genome sequencing

India Today  

Around 95 per cent of swab samples examined in the latest round of genome sequencing in Mumbai were found infected with the Omicron variant that triggered the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic in late December and which has now ebbed in the metropolis, the city civic body said on Monday. Out of the total 190 samples, 180 were found …

Fast-spreading, heavily mutated Omicron variant detected in 57 countries, says WHO
2 years, 11 months ago

Fast-spreading, heavily mutated Omicron variant detected in 57 countries, says WHO

Firstpost  

The BA.2 sub-variant is believed to be more infectious than the original Omicron Geneva: A sub-variant of the highly contagious Omicron coronavirus strain, which some studies indicate could be even more infectious than the original version, has been detected in 57 countries, the WHO said Tuesday. The fast-spreading and heavily mutated Omicron variant has rapidly become the dominant variant worldwide …

How did Omicron evolve? Scientists explore theories relating to origins of COVID variant
2 years, 11 months ago

How did Omicron evolve? Scientists explore theories relating to origins of COVID variant

India TV News  

The highly transmissible Omicron variant, which emerged with a host of unusual mutations in late November last year, has been detected in more than 120 countries. Understanding the origins of Omicron might help scientists to understand the risk of new variants emerging, and suggest steps to minimize it, said Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan Vaccine and …

Is Omicron endgame of Covid? WHO chief warns of future variants
2 years, 11 months ago

Is Omicron endgame of Covid? WHO chief warns of future variants

Live Mint  

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday said that it would be dangerous to assume that the highly transmissable Omicron was the last variant to emerge and that the world was in the 'end game' of the pandemic. By the end of 2021, a doctor in South Africa confirmed the detection of the highly transmissible Omicron variant that …

Omicron in South Africa Proved Less Fatal, Strict Vigilance Can Stop Community Spread of Future Variants
2 years, 11 months ago

Omicron in South Africa Proved Less Fatal, Strict Vigilance Can Stop Community Spread of Future Variants

News 18  

Worldwide, the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be a forgotten history and a foregone conclusion. South Africa was the first to discover the Omicron variant detected by the South Africa Network for Genomic Surveillance. Although the Omicron variant is not deadly as compared to Delta, it accounts for 90% of COVID-19 cases in South Africa and is a growing problem in Europe …

Omicron exposes East-West divide on living with COVID
3 years ago

Omicron exposes East-West divide on living with COVID

Al Jazeera  

Hwaseong, South Korea – Omicron is exposing an East-West divide between governments determined to halt the spread of the variant and those that see its spread as inevitable and even necessary. Although many countries initially tightened their borders when the Omicron variant first emerged in November, authorities in Asia have shown little appetite for easing restrictions despite high vaccination rates …

India's first Omicron death reported in Rajasthan: Union Health Ministry confirms
3 years ago

India's first Omicron death reported in Rajasthan: Union Health Ministry confirms

India TV News  

Highlights India reports first Omicron death in Rajasthan's Udaipur Death reported from Udaipur was "technically" related to Omicron, Health Ministry said Man was found Covid positive on December 15 and had symptoms like fever, cough and rhinitis India on Wednesday confirmed its first death linked to the Omicron variant of the coronavirus after the samples of a man in Rajasthan's …

South Africa lifts curfew as Omicron wave subsides
3 years ago

South Africa lifts curfew as Omicron wave subsides

Deccan Chronicle  

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa, where the Omicron variant was detected in November, said Thursday that the country's latest coronavirus wave had likely passed its peak without a significant increase in deaths and that restrictions would be eased. "All indicators suggest the country may have passed the peak of the fourth wave," the South African presidency said in a statement that announced …

Delhi: Genome sequencing reveals Omicron variant in 38% samples from city
3 years ago

Delhi: Genome sequencing reveals Omicron variant in 38% samples from city

India Today  

About 38 per cent of the total samples analysed at various genome sequencing laboratories in Delhi in the past one week have been detected with Omicron variant of Covid, according to officials documents, as the cases of the new variant saw a record spike in this period in the national capital. The cases of Omicron have reported a significant jump …

Case drop may show South Africa’s omicron peak has passed
3 years ago

Case drop may show South Africa’s omicron peak has passed

Associated Press  

JOHANNESBURG — South Africa’s noticeable drop in new COVID-19 cases in recent days may signal that the country’s dramatic omicron-driven surge has passed its peak, medical experts say. In South Africa, experts worried that the sheer volume of new infections would overwhelm the country’s hospitals, even though omicron appears to cause milder disease, with significantly less hospitalizations, patients needing oxygen …

South Africa's Case Drop May Show Omicron Peak Has Passed
3 years ago

South Africa's Case Drop May Show Omicron Peak Has Passed

News 18  

South Africa’s noticeable drop in new COVID-19 cases in recent days may signal that the country’s dramatic omicron-driven surge has passed its peak, medical experts say. In South Africa, experts worried that the sheer volume of new infections would overwhelm the country’s hospitals, even though omicron appears to cause milder disease, with significantly less hospitalizations, patients needing oxygen and deaths. …

COVID: South African study suggests Omicron milder than Delta
3 years ago

COVID: South African study suggests Omicron milder than Delta

Al Jazeera  

Study finds people diagnosed with Omicron in South Africa 80 percent less likely to be admitted to hospital. A South African study has suggested there are reduced risks of hospitalisation and severe disease in people infected with the Omicron coronavirus variant versus the Delta one, though the authors say some of that is likely due to high population immunity. “Compellingly, …

Omicron origin may have an HIV connection, here is how
3 years ago

Omicron origin may have an HIV connection, here is how

India Today  

Omicron is here but nobody knows for sure where it came from. A BBC report said the hypothesis tying Omicron to HIV is “highly plausible” citing South African research. READ | Omicron spreading ‘significantly faster’ than Delta variant: WHO chief sounds alarm Not taking antiretroviral therapy weakens the immune system of an HIV-infected person giving any virus including SARS-CoV-2 to …

Omicron variant 'raging' around the world, we know virus is very unpredictable: Dr Anthony Fauci
3 years ago

Omicron variant 'raging' around the world, we know virus is very unpredictable: Dr Anthony Fauci

India Today  

The Covid-19 omicron variant is “just raging around the world,” the White House's top medical adviser said on Sunday, and President Joe Biden is planning to give “a stark warning of what the winter will look” for unvaccinated Americans. Dr Anthony Fauci, the county's leading infectious disease expert, told NBC's “Meet the Press” that “the real problem” for the US …

Omicron in 89 countries, cases doubling in 1.5 to 3 days: WHO
3 years ago

Omicron in 89 countries, cases doubling in 1.5 to 3 days: WHO

The Hindu  

The Omicron variant of coronavirus has been reported in 89 countries and the number of cases is doubling in 1.5 to 3 days in areas with community transmission, the World Health Organization said on Saturday. ‘More data needed’ “There are still limited data on the clinical severity of Omicron,” the WHO said. “More data are needed to understand the severity …

As Omicron cases rise, here's what experts from UK, South Africa have to say
3 years ago

As Omicron cases rise, here's what experts from UK, South Africa have to say

India Today  

At Doctors’ Roundtable, India Today TV Consulting Editor Rajdeep Sardesai spoke to top health experts, including those from the UK and South Africa, to have all your Omicron FAQs answered. SHANKARA CHETTY, South Africa: Omicron is far more contagious than other variants. Data from countries like South Africa shows double vaccination can’t prevent Omicron infections. READ: Covid-19: Fresh Omicron cases …

Omicron may be less severe in South Africa. That may not be the case for the U.S.
3 years ago

Omicron may be less severe in South Africa. That may not be the case for the U.S.

NPR  

Omicron may be less severe in South Africa. The omicron variant may end up acting differently in the U.S. Omicron brings less severe disease in South Africa First, let's look more closely at all that good news from South Africa. "Thus, omicron enters a South African population with considerably more immunity than any prior SARS-CoV-2 variant," concluded Dr. Roby Bhattacharyya, …

UP detects first Omicron cases: 2 Ghaziabad residents who returned from Maharashtra test positive
3 years ago

UP detects first Omicron cases: 2 Ghaziabad residents who returned from Maharashtra test positive

India Today  

Uttar Pradesh reported its first cases of Omicron on Friday after two persons were detected with the new variant in Ghaziabad after genome sequencing. Meanwhile, India's Omicron tally crossed the 100 mark on Friday, even as the Centre advised people to avoid non-essential travel and mass gatherings and keep New Year celebrations at low intensity. Addressing a joint news conference …

Omicron in US: Covid positivity doubles in three days in NYC as variant detected in 38 states
3 years ago

Omicron in US: Covid positivity doubles in three days in NYC as variant detected in 38 states

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The Covid-19 positivity rate …

Omicron spreading at rate we have not seen with any previous variant: WHO Chief
3 years ago

Omicron spreading at rate we have not seen with any previous variant: WHO Chief

India TV News  

Highlights WHO on Tuesday said that Omicron has spread in more than 70 countries. As concerns regarding the new Omicron variant of Covid-19 is on the rise, the World Health Organization Chief Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus on Tuesday said that the new variant has been detected in over 70 countries and it was likely already present in most countries in the …

Omicron outbreak across the world: UK reports its first death from new COVID-19 variant; China records first case
3 years ago

Omicron outbreak across the world: UK reports its first death from new COVID-19 variant; China records first case

Firstpost  

According to the World Health Organization, 63 countries have recorded cases of Omicron till 9 December. “I’m afraid we’re now facing an emergency in our battle with the new variant Omicron,” UK prime minister Boris Johnson was quoted as having said in a TV statement on Sunday evening. Canada Canada’s chief public health officer Dr Theresa Tham has said that …

COVID: Omicron variant spreading at unprecedented rate, says WHO
3 years ago

COVID: Omicron variant spreading at unprecedented rate, says WHO

Al Jazeera  

WHO chief says the new strain was detected in at least 77 nations and was likely already in most countries. The World Health Organization has warned that the coronavirus variant Omicron was spreading at a rate not seen with previous strains and was likely present in most countries. “Seventy-seven countries have now reported cases of Omicron, and the reality is …

Inside the Botswana lab that discovered Omicron
3 years ago

Inside the Botswana lab that discovered Omicron

Al Jazeera  

The day that Dr Sikhulile Moyo ruefully calls “Omicron Day” started like any normal day, or as normal as one can be for a medical virologist in the middle of a global coronavirus pandemic. “We don’t think that the countries – ourselves, South Africa and others – should be punished for sharing our data transparently with the world,” says Dr …

DR. ANGELIQUE COETZEE: I alerted the wider world to Omicron - and I believe Britain is overreacting
3 years ago

DR. ANGELIQUE COETZEE: I alerted the wider world to Omicron - and I believe Britain is overreacting

Daily Mail  

The UK Government's handling of what Boris Johnson warned will be a 'tidal wave' of Omicron infections verges on hysteria. Yet you only have to look at the picture in South Africa, where the world's first known cases of Omicron were spotted, to realise this reaction is out of all proportion to the risks posed by this variant. The Prime …

Premature to Assume Omicron a ‘Mild’ Virus, Booster Dose 'Imminent': Karnataka Surveillance Panel Member
3 years ago

Premature to Assume Omicron a ‘Mild’ Virus, Booster Dose 'Imminent': Karnataka Surveillance Panel Member

News 18  

Amidst concerns over the new Omicron variant that has so far infected nearly 33 people in the country, the member of Karnataka’s genomic surveillance committee, Dr Vishal Rao, said it will be “incorrect and premature” to take the heavily mutated variant lightly, assuming that it’s just a mild virus. “As the numbers increase, the virus may exhibit more virulence,” Rao …

Omicron variant causing milder Covid-19 than delta: South African doctors
3 years ago

Omicron variant causing milder Covid-19 than delta: South African doctors

Hindustan Times  

As the Omicron variant sweeps through South Africa, Dr Unben Pillay is seeing dozens of sick patients a day. Omicron variant causing milder Covid-19 than delta: South African doctors That’s one of the reasons why he, along with other doctors and medical experts, suspect that the Omicron version really is causing milder Covid-19 than delta, even if it seems to …

COVID researchers are working around the clock to understand Omicron. A complex picture is starting to emerge
3 years ago

COVID researchers are working around the clock to understand Omicron. A complex picture is starting to emerge

ABC  

In the Kirby Institute's lab in Sydney's eastern suburbs, there's a freezer full of variants. The first stage of Turville and his team's investigations involved pitting the variant against 14 donor samples which had received two doses of either Pfizer or AstraZeneca and a product called hyperimmune globulin, made up of thousands of blood donors, which is used as an …

South African doctors see signs omicron is milder than delta
3 years ago

South African doctors see signs omicron is milder than delta

Associated Press  

JOHANNESBURG — As the omicron variant sweeps through South Africa, Dr. Unben Pillay is seeing dozens of sick patients a day. According to South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases: — Only about 30% of those hospitalized with COVID-19 in recent weeks have been seriously ill, less than half the rate as during the first weeks of previous pandemic waves. …

Omicron: Evidence shows it evades immunity from earlier infection more than other variants
3 years ago

Omicron: Evidence shows it evades immunity from earlier infection more than other variants

India TV News  

Scientists are working around the clock to get a better understanding of the Omicron variant. Our evidence suggests that the Omicron variant is associated with an increased ability to evade immunity from prior infection. This finding has important implications for public health planning, particularly in countries like South Africa with high rates of immunity from prior infection. A study to …

What omicron's fast spread could mean for the U.S. — and the world
3 years, 1 month ago

What omicron's fast spread could mean for the U.S. — and the world

NPR  

What omicron's fast spread could mean for the U.S. — and the world The first country to really get hit by omicron is South Africa. In some countries, omicron could have more trouble competing because of higher immunity levels and the increasing push to get booster shots – which early data show may help stop omicron infections, says Wafaa El-Sadr, …

December 7, 2021 Omicron variant latest global news updates
3 years, 1 month ago

December 7, 2021 Omicron variant latest global news updates

CNN  

There are still some key unanswered questions about the Omicron coronavirus variant, but emerging evidence appears to hold clues to the virus’ transmissibility and severity, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci said during a virtual White House briefing Tuesday. Real-world evidence is accumulating rapidly – literally on a daily basis – to allow us to …

Omicron vs Delta: Battle of COVID-19 variants rages across the world
3 years, 1 month ago

Omicron vs Delta: Battle of COVID-19 variants rages across the world

Firstpost  

Early data shows that that reinfection rates are much higher with the new variant than previous variants, suggesting the virus is escaping immunity somewhat. Omicron’s speed in infecting people and achieving near dominance in South Africa has health experts worried that the country is at the start of a new wave that may come to overwhelm hospitals. This indicates that …

Omicron v. delta: Battle of coronavirus mutants is critical
3 years, 1 month ago

Omicron v. delta: Battle of coronavirus mutants is critical

Associated Press  

As the omicron coronavirus variant spreads in southern Africa and pops up in countries all around the world, scientists are anxiously watching a battle play out that could determine the future of the pandemic. “It’s still early days, but increasingly, data is starting to trickle in, suggesting that omicron is likely to outcompete delta in many, if not all, places,” …

India's Omicron tally rises to 21: Tracking the spread of new coronavirus strain
3 years, 1 month ago

India's Omicron tally rises to 21: Tracking the spread of new coronavirus strain

Hindustan Times  

The Omicron variant has been spreading fast in India. Here’s tracking the spread of the Omicron variant in India: Reported on Sunday: One case in New Delhi with travel history to Tanzania. "Genome sequencing has confirmed that nine persons are infected with the omicron variant," Rajasthan health secretary Vaibhav Galriya said. “A 44-year-old, woman, who is a Nigerian citizen of …

Tale of two Covid variants: What makes Omicron more infectious than Delta
3 years, 1 month ago

Tale of two Covid variants: What makes Omicron more infectious than Delta

India Today  

Omicron, the new variant of coronavirus, is said to be more infectious than others, including the feared Delta strain. Dr Christopher JL Murray, director and lead modeler of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, said, “This is going to be very important in places with high levels of past infection India, for example, with …

Omicron was already spreading in the Netherlands before it had a name. Could it have European origins?
3 years, 1 month ago

Omicron was already spreading in the Netherlands before it had a name. Could it have European origins?

ABC  

As Paula Zimmerman queued at her gate in Cape Town, a news alert flashed up on her phone, warning about a new variant of COVID-19 that had just been discovered in South Africa. Professor Mads Albertsen, a genomic sequencing expert from Aalborg University in Denmark, said many countries that have found no cases of Omicron probably haven't looked hard enough. …

India reports 17 more Omicron cases
3 years, 1 month ago

India reports 17 more Omicron cases

The Hindu  

With 17 more cases of Omircon being reported across India — nine persons in Jaipur, seven in Pune and a 37-year-old fully vaccinated man who arrived in Delhi from Tanzania — the total number of cases has risen to 21. “Genome sequencing has confirmed that nine persons are infected with the omicron variant,” Rajasthan Health Secretary Vaibhav Galriya said. Delhi …

4 Omicron cases in India: What their age, travel and vaccination history reveal
3 years, 1 month ago

4 Omicron cases in India: What their age, travel and vaccination history reveal

Hindustan Times  

India now has four confirmed cases of Omicron variant while several samples have been sent for genome sequencing and the results are awaited. The first Omicron case of India was a 66-year-old South African national who has left India. By the time, the genome sequencing result came and it was confirmed that he was affected by the Omicron variant, he …

Delhi reports first case of Omicron variant, fifth in India | Doctor explains symptoms
3 years, 1 month ago

Delhi reports first case of Omicron variant, fifth in India | Doctor explains symptoms

India Today  

On Sunday, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain confirmed the first case of the Omicron variant of coronavirus in Delhi, taking the total count of confirmed Omicron cases in India to five. FIVE OMICRON CASES IN INDIA Earlier this week, Karnataka, Gujarat and Maharashtra reported confirmed cases of the Omicron variant. The Omicron variant, first detected in southern African countries, was …

Omicron variant: What is the new Covid variant and what are the symptoms
3 years, 1 month ago

Omicron variant: What is the new Covid variant and what are the symptoms

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Professor Francois Balloux, the director of the Genetics Institute …

Omicron-stricken South Africa may be glimpse into the future
3 years, 1 month ago

Omicron-stricken South Africa may be glimpse into the future

Associated Press  

JOHANNESBURG — Dr. Sikhulile Moyo was analyzing COVID-19 samples in his lab in Botswana last week when he noticed they looked startlingly different from others. Within days, the world was ablaze with the news that the coronavirus had a new variant of concern — one that appears to be driving a dramatic surge in South Africa and offering a glimpse …

The AP Interview: Scientist says omicron was a group find
3 years, 1 month ago

The AP Interview: Scientist says omicron was a group find

Associated Press  

JOHANNESBURG — The Botswana scientist who may well have discovered the omicron variant of the coronavirus says he has been on a “rollercoaster of emotions,” with the pride of accomplishment followed by dismay over the travel bans immediately slapped on southern African countries. “We should not do geopolitics about the virus.. We should be collaborating and understanding.” Moyo was doing …

Worldview with Suhasini Haidar | Has the world jumped the gun regarding Omicron?
3 years, 1 month ago

Worldview with Suhasini Haidar | Has the world jumped the gun regarding Omicron?

The Hindu  

In the past week, countries across the world are reporting cases, a few each, of what has been named as the Omicron variant, first detected in South Africa. According to scientists - The Alpha variant, first identified in the UK, that spread to about 50 countries had about 23 mutations when it was named a Variant of Concern - Beta …

5 contacts of India’s first Omicron cases test positive
3 years, 1 month ago

5 contacts of India’s first Omicron cases test positive

The Hindu  

Close to 500 primary and secondary contacts of the first two cases of Omicron, the most mutated variant of COVID-19 virus, detected in India have been traced and five have tested positive for COVID-19, according to a document viewed by The Hindu. According to the document, the 66-year-old double-vaccinated man who travelled with a negative report from South Africa had …

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