Omicron Variant: Will Mutations In Virus Make Vaccines Ineffective? Here’s What Senior ICMR Scientist Said

Senior ICMR scientist Samiran Panda emphasised on strengthening of the ongoing vaccination drive as well as strict adherence to COVID-appropriate behaviour

Representative Photo: Getty Images

New Delhi: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) scientist Samiran Panda on Saturday addressed concerns regarding Omicron as he said that genomic variations and structural changes have been reported from other countries in the new coronavirus variant but whether these would cause increased transmissibility or make vaccines ineffective is under examination.

The head of the Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases Division at ICMR noted that according to WHO, the vaccines which have been directed towards the spike protein of the virus may find difficulty in mounting adequate immunity against the mutated version because of the structural changes that have been reported in the viral genome.

“However, we have to wait and watch in order to figure out how the emergence of this new mutant evolves and plays out at the population level,” scientist Samiran Panda said, as quoted by news agency PTI.

He pointed out that vaccines used in India -- Covaxin and Covishield -- have been reported to work against previously identified mutants from within India and other countries.

“Whether they would be effective against newly reported mutant B.1.1.529 needs to be seen over a period of time,” he said.

The World Health Organization on Friday named the new COVID-19 strain as ‘Omicron’ and classified it as a highly transmissible variant of concern, the category that also includes the delta variant.

“Genomic variations and structural changes have been reported from other countries in the new emerging variant of coronavirus but whether these changes would impart increased transmissibility or make vaccines ineffective is under examination,” PTI quoted the ICMR scientist as saying.

He noted that mRNA vaccines are directed towards viral spike protein and host cell receptor interaction and thus may need to be tweaked as appropriate around the changes observed in the virus.

Meanwhile, Samiran Panda emphasised on strengthening of the ongoing vaccination drive as well as strict adherence to COVID-appropriate behaviour where community engagement is the key intervention approach.

Ramping up genomic surveillance in the country and for incoming international travelers will also help in forming programmatic intervention measures, he underlined.

About ‘Variant Of Concern’ Omicron

The new and potentially more contagious B.1.1.529 variant was first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) from South Africa on November 24 and has also been identified in Botswana, Belgium, Hong Kong, Israel, and in latest the United Kingdom.

The variant is reported to have a high number of mutations, about 50 overall. Importantly, as South African genomic scientists informed on Thursday, more than 30 of the mutations were found in the spike protein -- the structure the virus uses to get into the cells they attack.

The new variant, becoming a cause of alarm, has led to countries around the world introducing travel bans and restrictions on southern African countries in an effort to contain Omicron’s spread.

The United States has from Monday restricted travel from South Africa and seven other countries in the southern Africa region.

European countries along with the UK have banned travel to and from South Africa and neighbouring countries of Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana, as well as Lesotho and Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), both of which are landlocked within South Africa.

Other countries include Mauritius, Israel, Sri Lanka, and the Netherlands.

Many other countries have indicated that only their own citizens would be allowed back, subject to a quarantine period.

Meanwhile, the Indian government has asked all states and union territories to conduct rigorous screening and testing of all international travellers coming from or transiting through South Africa, Hong Kong, and Botswana.

(With Agency Inputs)