This week, the new crown virus variant "Omicron" continued to attract widespread attention around the world, and many countries upgraded their epidemic prevention and control measures. For more than a year, the new crown virus variant has emerged in an endless stream, why is Omicron so worrying?
Mutated viruses tend to increase skill points from two directions: one is to enhance the ability to infect, and the other is to improve the immune escape ability. Increased infective capacity may allow mutant strains to replace old strains as dominant strains, while increased immune escape capacity may invalidate existing vaccines. Omikeron is the fifth "Concerned Variant" (VOC) identified by the World Health Organization, which also has important amino acid mutation sites of the spike proteins of the first four Concerned Variants Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta, including mutation sites that enhance cell receptor affinity and viral replication. That is to say, it is a "collection" mutant strain, which may be easier to spread than all previous variants, and also has immune escape skill points, which some researchers speculate that Omilon will become an upgraded version of Delta.
So, are China's existing epidemic prevention measures still effective for Aumechjong? This should be analyzed from three aspects.
See if the detection ability is affected.
Detection and identification of the virus is the basis for blocking the spread of the virus. The mutation sites of the Omikejong mutant strain are mainly located in the high-mutation region of the S protein gene, while the mainstream nucleic acid detection reagents in China are designed for the ORF/ab gene and N gene of the new coronavirus, and the sensitivity and specificity are not affected, which can cope with the detection of the Omiljung variant strain. In addition, China has established a specific nucleic acid detection method for the Omikejong variant, and continues to carry out viral genomic monitoring for possible imported cases, and once the Omikeron strain is imported, it will be quickly discovered.
Second, look at whether the prevention and control strategy is still effective.
Overall, Omi kerong is still the new crown virus, and it has not yet undergone a subversive change. No matter how the virus mutates, as long as there is no fundamental change in the transmission route, routine epidemic prevention measures such as frequent hand washing, wearing masks, more ventilation, and less gathering will still be effective, and China's existing prevention and control strategy of "external prevention of import, internal prevention and rebound" will still be effective.
Third, see if the new crown vaccine needs to be updated.
In the past, the NEW CORONAVIRUS variant has indeed reduced the effectiveness of vaccines, but even vaccines produced with wild-type strains can produce a very broad spectrum of neutralizing activity as long as the neutralizing antibody titer produced by the vaccine is high enough. Therefore, in the face of mutant strains, intensive injection vaccination with marketed vaccines is the simplest and most feasible response. In addition, China is rapidly promoting the development of the Omiljung vaccine, and once experts believe that there is indeed a need to update the vaccine, the public does not have to worry about no new vaccine available.
From the above three aspects of analysis results, it can be seen that China's existing prevention and control strategies, detection methods, and technical material reserves are still effective for the Aomi Kerong mutant strain.
Data chart Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Yujie
Only when the enemy is wide can we be prepared. The new coronavirus is an RNA virus, and the RNA virus itself has the characteristics of being easily mutated. Chinese in the face of the epidemic, instead of "lying flat" like some Western countries, or relying on a single tool such as vaccines, it is enough to use a variety of epidemic prevention measures, which is enough to minimize the adverse effects of the mutated strains.
Omikeron is not the first COVID-19 variant to trigger a global alarm, and the current major global epidemic strain is still Delta. We can keep an eye on it, but we don't have to panic. As long as we adhere to the overall strategy of "external defense input, internal defense rebound" and the goal of "dynamic clearance", our normalized anti-epidemic can deal with Delta, and will certainly be able to deal with Omikejong. (Author She Huimin)
Source: China Economic Network