Dr. Jeewandara warns about the dreaded Omicron.

Dr. Chandima Jeewandara says that there are about 30 mutations related to the S strain of the latest strain of Kovid 19 virus called Omicron found in South Africa.

Dr. Chandima Jeewandara, Director, Institute of Allergy, Immunology and Cell Biology, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, points out that due to this, people should follow proper health advice and be vigilant.

He points out that getting a booster vaccine is also a must.

He said that the current efforts of the government were successful and that the existing rules and regulations for the entry of foreigners into the country were adequate.

He added that there are laboratory facilities in Sri Lanka to identify the virus.

It is speculated that this omicron variant may be able to spread faster than the delta variety. Sri Lanka is very well prepared. There is no need to be afraid of this. What is needed is to delay the entry of Omicron into the country as much as possible. The arrival of any variety in Sri Lanka cannot be stopped forever. The booster vaccine boosts our immunity. There is no need to be afraid of the Omicron variant. But no one in the world still knows about the severe effects of this omicron variant. Cyanoform vaccine was widely used in Sri Lanka. Research has shown that antibodies decrease at 3 months of age. In such a case the booster vaccine is very important. Security is there. It is not a good idea to not get the booster vaccine, especially for adults.

Delta is the only variety still prevalent in Sri Lanka. We saw two variants of it. Mutations that affect the prevalence of 10 out of 30 mutations in the omicron variant. This is a significant situation. It is speculated that it has the potential to overwhelm vaccine immunity. Even patients with Delta have been exposed to this omicron. The exact behavior of this will be known in the future. Even a PCR has the ability to detect and suspect this. That’s a good thing.

The latest strain of the Kovid virus, Omicron, found in South Africa, is the 5th strain of the virus.

Previously, variants of the virus were identified as alpha, beta, gamma, and delta.

The nominations were made by the World Health Organization.

Omicron has already been identified in Hong Kong and Belgium.

Viral variants Foreign experts point out that the spread rate of the omicron variant is 500% higher than that of the delta variant.

South African scientists point out that there are about 50 mutations in the omicron variant, of which 32 mutations are found in spike proteins alone.

Preliminary studies have also revealed that mutations in spike proteins can reduce the effectiveness of vaccines by up to 40 percent, according to foreign reports.

For example, the trio of H655Y, N679K and P681H mutations allow the virus to enter the body easily, and the presence of the last two mutations together is said to be a rare case of the virus.

It is through these changes that the omicron variant is shown to be more resistant than the vaccine.

Only 10.66% of the total population of the African continent has received at least one dose of the vaccine.

Experts suspect that limiting vaccination to such a percentage could lead to such mutations.

Meanwhile, those who have traveled to South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and Ezwatini during the last 14 days will be barred from entering Sri Lanka from midnight today (27), the Civil Aviation Authority said.

This ban also applies to all persons coming through Sri Lanka in anticipation of their arrival.

The guidelines also state that if there are any persons who have already arrived in the country from those countries in the next few days, they should be subjected to a 14-day compulsory quarantine after being examined by the Kovid.

Source: Adaderana.lk