2020: DEJAVU

Is this another nightmare or another year of enduring a tremendous threat of suffering? Would it be an extra year of living like a prison? Why could not we put the reign of COVID-19 to an end? Aren’t we finished using facemasks and dreading what is around us?

           Within the past months, new variants of the virus are being discovered. Deja Vu, isn’t it? In the year 2020, in the corresponding months, Corona Virus was identified in Wuhan, China─ an epidemic turns out to be the deadliest creature, an unexplained villain. Now, a variant was discovered in South Africa. As for the moment, it has also been distinguished in Botswana, Belgium, Canada, Australia, Netherlands, Denmark, United Kingdom, Germany, Israel, Italy, Czech Republic, Hong Kong, and many more countries.

           The B.1.1.529 variant, also known as Omicron, is the latest virus found in South Africa. Why is this becoming the variant of concern? According to World Health Organization (WHO), the Omicron variant has many distressing mutations, with more than 30 in the critical spike of protein and the virus uses them to get into the cells they attack. WHO stressed that “there is still a lot that is unknown, including if it is more contagious, causes more severe diseases, or could evade the vaccines.”

           Specific Omicron mutations may impair the ability of the virus to cleave, changing the behavior of the spike protein; typically, when viruses accumulate many mutations, they lose some fitness, said Dr. John Wherry, director of Penn Institute for Immunology in Philadelphia.

           Shreds of evidence indicate that Omicron has an advantage over other variants in bypassing the immune system. It tends to be better able to reinfection people who have been previously contaminated and received some security against Covid-19.

           Should we panic? Experts have recommended caution, stressing that there is no hard proof that Omicron is more harmful than prior varieties such as Delta, which soon surpassed their predecessors in the United States and other nations. Although Delta turned out to be much more transmissible than prior variants, and some data suggests it can cause more critical illness in the unvaccinated, there is insufficient evidence it is more lethal or capable of outsmarting vaccines. 

           “The vaccines we have are remarkably effective against a range of other variants, but we need more lab and real-world data to determine the degree of protection in those vaccinated,” said Prof. Peter Openshaw of Imperial College London.

As a result of Omicron, many nations already enduring soaring Covid-19 cases caused by the Delta variant have enforced new lockdown measures and travel restrictions.

Think twice; our health is at risk, and let us give our medical front liners a break─ they are exhausted from approximately two years of fighting the virus.

           The Office of the Student Affairs encourages Northwesternians to be vaccinated through coordination with the local government units. Let us guard ourselves and get our vaccines now.