What you should know now
The emergence of the new COVID variant Omicron has not only raised alarms all across the globe, but its unpredictability and the lack of evidence around it has lead to a chaotic turn of events. The variant, first detected in South Africa, has now been declared a “variant of concern," which means that it contains genetic changes that may affect transmissibility, severity of the disease or how it responds to the antibodies triggered by the vaccines.
Given that the virus or rather the viral strain has progressed so much in such a short span of time, scientists believe that the new variant is extremely transmissible and may impact the efficacy of the vaccines. However, much remains under speculation.
The new COVID variant may develop "Immune-escape mechanism"
Recently, AIIMS Director Dr. Randeep Guleria made strong claims around COVID's Omicron variant, which could be highly worrying.
Given that the new strain possesses over 30 mutations in the spike protein itself, it could potentially develop an 'immune-escape mechanism', says Dr. Guleria. This he believed could further lead to a decreased efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.
Having said that, he emphasized that vaccine efficacy including the ones in use in India need to be ‘critically’ evaluated.
Will it really affect vaccine efficacy?
Currently, the fact that the new variant has multiple mutations, 30+ in the spike protein itself, is extremely concerning, not just in terms of transmissibility, but also with regard to vaccine effectiveness.
Based on scientific evidence that has come to light so far, Dr Samiran Panda, Head, Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases Division, (ICMR), recently suggested the possibility that available COVID vaccines may not prove as effective against the new variant as it should be.
However, he also said that only time will tell and provide further information around the new variant.
Read also: What the doctor who sounded off COVID’s Omicron variant wants us to know
The step ahead
If infact the variant evades vaccine-induced immunity and is able to render it less effective, experts suggest updating the existing vaccines or tweaking them to meet the desired outcome.
While Moderna has recently announced that an Omicron variant vaccine could be ready by early next year, the CEO of the company has made further claims suggesting that the existing vaccines may be less effective against the new variant. This has surely raised concerns amongst people.
ICMR Head Dr. Panda said, “mRNA vaccines are directed towards spike protein and receptor interaction, so mRNA vaccines need to be tweaked around this change already observed."
"But not all vaccines are similar, Covishield-Covaxin produce immunity through a different antigen presentation to our system," he adds.
Will Covishield and Covaxin prove effective against the Omicron variant?
India has currently granted emergency usage authorisation to multiple vaccines, of which the only mRNA vaccine by Moderna is not yet available in the country.
As of now, Serum Institute of India's Covishield, Bharat Biotech's Covaxin and Russian vaccine Sputnik V are being administered in India to people who fit the eligibility criteria.
Both Covishield and Russia's Sputnik V uses the adenoviral vector technology to trigger an immune response using a modified version of a different virus, known as a vector. Covaxin on the other hand, is developed using Whole-Virion Inactivated Vero Cell derived platform technology, wherein the inactivated virus does not replicate but mounts a defensive immune response against the infection.
Since the new Omicron variant is known to have many mutations in the spike protein that are targeted by the vaccine antibodies, there could be some changes in vaccine efficacy.
However, according to Dr. Panda, only time could tell and determine how effective the vaccines will prove against the new variant. He says, "There are different kinds of vaccines. Some are directed towards the spike protein of the virus which gets attached to the receptor. So, if changes happened there, vaccines might not be effective." In simple terms, if the spike protein that helps the virus to enter the host cell continues to mutate, it might become difficult for the vaccine-induced antibodies to detect and neutralize it, making it more rampant.
The role of preventive measures amid COVID crisis
Other than trusting the course of vaccination processes, wearing masks, maintaining proper hygiene, following COVID-appropriate behaviour is extremely crucial.
While India is yet to report any case of the Omicron variant, experts believe the time will come and that we must remain prepared for the worst.
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