AMMAN — Mohammad Hassan Al-Tarawneh, a specialist in respiratory, thoracic, and critical care diseases, said the danger of the new
Omicron variant lies in
the possibility of it reaching high-risk groups who suffer from chronic and autoimmune
diseases, according to Jo24.
اضافة اعلان
If
people with compromised immunity get infected, large numbers will need to be
admitted to hospitals, which will put pressure on the health system in the
Kingdom, he said.
Tarawneh
warned against gatherings and parties, which usually result in increased
numbers of infections and hospitalizations, stressing that the daily cost of intensive
care, between treatment, medicine, bed occupancy, respirator, and supervision,
is about JD500.
Virologists
believe the Omicron variant spreads faster than the
Delta variant and contains
a mutation that neutralizes antibodies resulting from vaccines and previous
infections, said Tarawneh, adding that the world is still awaiting for reports
and details from vaccine manufacturers regarding the extent of vaccine effectiveness
against Omicron, which may take two weeks.
The
government needs to take measures to limit the potential spread of the new
mutant, said Tarawneh, including conducting more PCR tests, testing contacts, mapping
out a genetic sequence to diagnose the new mutant early, stopping all forms of group
activities and returning to tighten control over institutions, markets, etc.
Citizens
must wear masks, maintain physical distance and not act recklessly, while people
isolating at home must be monitored by authorities, said Tarawneh, adding that
no country in the world will be able to prevent the entry of the new mutant into
its territory, but early diagnosis, proactive measures, and a transparent
account of the situation might help limit its spread.
According
to Tarawneh, vaccines reduce the number of infections by a multiple of five,
reduce hospital admissions by a multiple of 10, and reduce the possibility of
death by a multiple of 11, which is proof of their effectiveness.
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