AS Guyana inches its way to reaching herd immunity, there are indications of a new viral strain which scientists believe are more easily transmissible and potentially more dangerous. The new variant, named ‘Omicron’, is found to have a large number of mutations and, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) could pose serious re-infection risks.

The virus was first reported to the WHO from South Africa on November 24 and has also been identified in Botswana, Belgium, Hong Kong and Israel. Given the potential for easy transmission, a number of countries, out of an abundance of caution, have already decided to ban or restrict travel to and from South Africa. This is indeed a worrying development and even though it is still under investigation by the scientific community, many countries have already taken steps to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant.

According to medical experts, it is not uncommon for a virus to change or mutate over time. However, it does become a matter of concern when that mutation affects such things as transmissibility, virulence or effectiveness of vaccines.

The discovery of the new variant comes at a time when several countries have re-introduced lockdown measures following a new wave of infections. This has sparked protest actions in several European countries, more particularly Holland, Belgium, Austria, France and Croatia where protest actions degenerated into riots prompting strong police responses. According to medical experts, the spike in infection rates is triggered mainly from unvaccinated segment of the population and even though most of these countries have had fairly high vaccination rates, that in itself is no guarantee that the situation is fully under control.

In Guyana, the Ministry of Health has commenced the process of administering the ‘booster’ vaccine against the COVID-19 virus which is currently available for persons over 50 years of age and those with co-morbidities or with underlying medical conditions who are over 18 years old. According to the Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, persons can take the booster shot six months after being administered both doses of the COVID-19 vaccines. Those who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine can receive the booster shot after 52 days.

The fact is that that there is that possibility of the immunity becoming weaker after six months of full vaccination, which in effect means that persons who are fully vaccinated can be infected. Hence, the importance of the booster vaccines which could greatly mitigate against infection or re-infection rates.

The Government of Guyana must be commended for introducing the booster shots even as efforts are still continuing to get persons vaccinated, fully or partially. According to Minister Anthony, there are enough vaccines available to provide booster shots to the full cohort of the over 50-year population and persons are strongly advised to make use of the opportunity provided.

As the experiences of several other countries, including those in Europe, North America, Australia and elsewhere have demonstrated, no one is safe until everyone is safe. The emergence of new variants of the COVID-19 virus is all the more reason for heightened vigilance and full adherence of all the necessary precautions and protocols. And while there is no reason to press the panic button, there is considerable merit in the old adage ‘that an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure’.

Guyana, like all other countries are not, as it were, out of the woods in so far as the potential of a resurgence of the COVID-19 virus is concerned. One way of preventing that from happening is to become fully vaccinated, in addition to the full adherence of the guidelines and protocols established by the Ministry of Health.