Testing, vaccines, sequencing: experts call for multi-pronged approach to Omicron

‘Best hope’ for containing the new variant is worldwide vaccine campaign where rates are low, public health experts say

As new cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant are uncovered across the globe and threaten to spread in America, US officials are reacting by urging vaccinations and boosters instead of imposing restrictions which have increasingly provoked political fights.

But the US should quickly invest in other tools as well, experts said, including testing, genomic sequencing and surveillance, better communication, and a strong focus on global vaccine equity to prevent the emergence of new variants.

Continue reading...

Coronavirus | The Guardian

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ministers accused of sowing confusion over England’s travel advice

Government criticised for sending out mixed messages about traffic-light system for foreign travel Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Ministers have been accused of sowing confusion over what foreign travel is permitted for people in England after sending out mixed messages relating to its traffic light system. On Wednesday, the education minister Gillian Keegan urged people to be “sensible” and not travel to “amber list” countries for holidays, but her comments followed differing advice the day before. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian
Read more

VAT: from Covid tests to child car seats, there are calls to ‘scrap the tax’

The ‘tampon tax’ was the most high-profile campaign but now, with 20% on coronavirus kits, others are gaining pace The start of 2021 brought with it the end of the “tampon tax”. After years of campaigning , the government finally accepted the argument that sanitary products are an essential product, not a luxury, and should be treated as such for VAT purposes. Now, as with most food and children’s clothing, they attract a zero rate of tax. The tampon tax campaign was the loudest relating to VAT rates in recent memory but it’s certainly not the only one. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian
Read more

Covid vaccine used on apes at San Diego zoo trialled on mink

Experimental animal jabs could stop spillover back to humans, says firm behind vaccines for primates At the start of 2021, four orangutans and five bonobos became the first great apes at a US zoo to receive Covid-19 vaccinations. An outbreak in San Diego zoo’s western lowland gorilla troop had caused panic among staff after the virus spread to the animals, probably from an asymptomatic zookeeper. Eight gorillas tested positive – with symptoms such as runny noses, lethargy and coughs – and there were fears the virus could spread to other primates. “We were approached by San Diego zoo asking if we had any vaccine because the primates were getting sick. Luckily, we had some that we thought would be appropriate,” recalls Dr Mahesh Kumar, a senior vice-president at the US veterinary pharmaceutical company Zoetis, which developed the jab. Continue reading... Coronavirus | The Guardian
Read more