Who Are Most Vulnerable to the New Variant of Infection? The Origin Theory of the Omicron Strain: WHO Epidemiologist

The new variant of the coronavirus, Omicron (B.1.1.529), may have emerged in a person with immune deficiency who did not fully recover from the infection. This hypothesis was expressed by Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organization's chief epidemiologist, in an interview with the Financial Times.

"It is unclear where this strain originated, but one of the hypotheses is that it could have arisen from an infected patient with immune deficiency who could not fully recover from the virus and in whose body the virus multiplied significantly," stated the WHO representative.

Regarding the emergence of Omicron, Van Kerkhove urged the global community not to blame the country where the strain was first identified. She added that there is a need for more testing and research.

South African doctors have also indicated who is more vulnerable to this new variant of infection. "Young people between the ages of 20 and slightly above 30 who have moderate to severe conditions and require intensive care. 65% of these individuals are unvaccinated, and those vaccinated have only received the first dose," they noted.

Meanwhile, noted epidemiologist Salim Abdul Karim mentioned that it is still early to draw definitive conclusions that it is young people who are more susceptible to being infected by the Omicron strain. "However, we can say that in the near future we will witness a large number of coronavirus cases among those who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19," emphasized the epidemiologist.

It is worth noting that the WHO has recognized the Omicron variant of the coronavirus as a threat to the world, as this strain spreads rapidly, and existing vaccines may be ineffective against it.