COVID-19 vaccine coverage and the necessity of its urgent development towards Omicron the new SARS CoV-2 B.1.1. 529 variant

Authors

  • Laith Ghadhanfer Shareef Department of Pharmacy, Al-Esraa University College, Baghdad/Iraq.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30574/gscbps.2021.17.3.0350

Keywords:

Omicron, SARS CoV-2 B.1.1. 529 variant, COVID-19, Vaccine

Abstract

A SARS-CoV-2 variant belonging to Pango lineage B.1.1.529 with a significant number of S-gene mutations compared to the original virus was found in early November 2021. On 26th November 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated the mutation as a variant of concern and assigned it the name Omicron. The difference is identified by 30 changes in the spike protein, three minor deletions, and one minor insertion, 15 of which are in the receptor-binding area. The Omicron variant is the most diverging variety discovered in substantial numbers so far during the pandemic, raising significant concerns that it may be associated with significant reductions in vaccination efficacy and an increased risk of reinfections. Omicron pseudo- or live virus isolates are urgently needed to understand better the virus's escape potential against both vaccination, and infection-acquired immunity is urgently required.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

WHO. Enhancing Readiness for Omicron (B.1.1.529): Technical Brief and Priority Actions for Member States. 2021.

Lee LY, Rozmanowski S, Pang M, Charlett A, Anderson C, Hughes GJ, et al. SARS-CoV-2 infectivity by viral load, S gene variants and demographic factors and the utility of lateral flow devices to prevent transmission. 2021.

Schmidt F, Weisblum Y, Rutkowska M, Poston D, DaSilva J, Zhang F, et al. High genetic barrier to SARS-CoV-2 polyclonal neutralizing antibody escape. Nature. 2021.

Torjesen I. Covid-19: Omicron may be more transmissible than other variants and partly resistant to existing vaccines, scientists fear. BMJ 2021;375:n2943.

Tarke A, Sidney J, Methot N, Yu ED, Zhang Y, Dan JM, et al. Impact of SARS-CoV-2 variants on the total CD4+ and CD8+ T cell reactivity in infected or vaccinated individuals. Cell Reports Medicine. 2021;2(7):100355.

ECDC. Implications of the emergence and spread of the SARSCoV-2 B.1.1. 529 variant of concern (Omicron) for the EU/EEA. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. 2021.

Downloads

Published

2021-12-30

How to Cite

Shareef, L. G. . (2021). COVID-19 vaccine coverage and the necessity of its urgent development towards Omicron the new SARS CoV-2 B.1.1. 529 variant. GSC Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 17(3), 058–060. https://doi.org/10.30574/gscbps.2021.17.3.0350

Issue

Section

Review Article