Tackling the Omicron wave, getting future-ready

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It is two months since Omicron (B1.1.529) was first reported as a variant of SARS-CoV-2. Since then, Omicron has been identified in 171 countries; it has become the dominant variant in many countries, and the world is experiencing the highest daily new COVID-19 infections since the start of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Alongside, there has been a better understanding about the new variant and its spread. Omicron is three to four times more transmissible than the Delta variant. Epidemiological data points to a ‘decoupling’ of Omicron infections from the hospitalisation and deaths. A majority of cases — in nearly all settings — continue to remain asymptomatic. Omicron causes mostly mild disease — at least in those fully vaccinated. And a surge due to Omicron peaks in two to three weeks with an equally steep decline.

A ‘medicalised response’