Uptake on COVID19's new variant Omicron- Is an end in sight?

Boosters are rolled out in the developed world to fight the new variant, Omicron, yet the number of COVID19 cases are making record every other day. Is world is danger at succumbing to another war against the virus. Or, is it?

However, if we flashback a year ago with a time machine, we will see that vaccines were just rolled out and COVID19 was deadly without no obvious therapy. Most adults are not yet vaccinated let alone children. Hospitals are full with COVID patients and ICUs are almost at full capacity.

Now after a year, we have a milder version of COVID19, called Omicron whose effects can be effectively nullified with a booster, can be treated with pills from Merck or Pfizer. A new booster is under development to fight omicron by established vaccine maker. Producing a booster for new variant has become easy since it is just a technology upgrades (e.g. mRNA) like a next generation TV.

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A less severe variant of COVID19, Omicron is overtaking deadly delta due to its transmissibility. Booster shot just works as good as against Delta or at least nullifies the severity and reduce the chance of hospitalization. It looks like a blessing in disguise since Omicron will overtake deadlier delta.

Why we have so much panic when we a have working vaccine (and booster) and less severe version of the virus. If you are not vaccinated, you end up catching COVID19 and get severely ill, then you may end up in hospital or even in ICU. If you are hospitalized and end up in ICU, you are taking the same medical help that are developed based on Science. Vaccines are based on the very Science similar to all the medical therapies that you will take during your hospitalization. Then why are not you listening your physicians and take the vaccine now!

If you are living in a developed country and if you are healthy who follow health guidelines, boast your immune systems with good diet and supplements, have taken both booster and vaccine then you are probably safe from this mild version of COVID19. However, you have to be careful about catching it and then transfer to vulnerable population such as very elderlies, people with co-morbidity and auto-immune system or very young children (e.g. younger than 5 year and not eligible for vaccination).

It seems like that most people will catch it due to Omicron's unavoidable transmissibility. However, immunity due to infection, vaccine, and booster may end the curse of pandemic sooner than later. It happened in South Africa, it spiraled up and then goes down very quickly in cases. We can learn a lot from South Africa's lesson.

Finally, we should not let down our guard by not having vaccination for most part of the world. However, as virus becomes more adaptable to survive in the host body, it becomes milder but more transmissible which is eventually a good omen for humanity.

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