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Omicron variant as nature's solution to the COVID‐19 pandemic – Wiley

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3 years ago

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1 WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE

The first report by the World Health Organization (WHO) on the coronavirus, the cause of the infection now known as COVID-19, signalled the beginning of one of the most momentous epidemics in the history of mankind. The Coronavirus Study Group (CSG) of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses classified and named the virus as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).1 Our objective is to comment on its highly infective Omicron variant and to suggest that while it may go on to overwhelm some health services and kill many, it may well contribute to a resolution of the current pandemic.

2 COMMENT

On 31 December 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported on a cluster of cases of pneumonia in Wuhan, China. Soon after, Chinese investigators who made the discovery identified the causative virus as a new coronavirus.2, 3

The Omicron variant of the virus (or more simply and less alarmingly, variant O; the 15th letter of the alphabet, both Greek and English) is regarded as a serious threat because of its extreme contagiousness. Only a small proportion of infected patients needs to be hospitalized for most national health services to be overwhelmed, the dreaded outcome for all governments. To avoid this, many health authorities, including the UK National Health Service, have embarked on a campaign to boost vaccinate the whole of its eligible population. As some early evidence suggests that the vaccine is less effective against variant O,4 concern is spreading to a level that creates fear bordering on panic.4

I have worked on vaccines on and off for many years5, 6 and have previously served on the British Committee on Safety of Medicines. So, friends and relatives often ask me about drugs and health matters.

“I hear that the J and J vaccine which I have had as a booster is less effective,” one of my friends asked. I sensed his implicit worry that he might be at risk of catching the infection and dying as some of his acquaintances had during the first wave of the pandemic. “Is it true that those fully vaccinated are more likely to get infected with Omicron than those not vaccinated? How is this possible?” asked another.

That variant O is causing considerable concern is obvious, a concern that feeds on fake news and headlines of proper research, truncated more to grab attention than to convey nuances and uncertainties of the work reported. In the fast-changing world of COVID-19, discriminating between fake news and fact, and fact within headlined quality research, is increasingly difficult even for those actively involved in its research. A Medline search of the word “COVID” in the title brought up over 140,000 records by the middle of December 2021.

The history of vaccination goes back many centuries before the late eighteenth century when Benjamin Jesty and Edward Jenner noticed that milkmaids infected with cowpox, a mild disease, developed protection against smallpox, a disease that killed one in three of those affected.7 The Chinese had eight centuries earlier been practising variolation, a technique that involved taking small samples of pus from smallpox pustules, drying them and inoculating those not yet infected, intranasally.7 Later variolation would be more widely given intradermally. The technique of attenuating dangerous viruses for use as vaccines by desiccation was subsequently extended with chemical inactivation and repeated passages through animals or cell cultures. Treatment to kill (inactivate) the viruses while maintaining their ability to elicit protective immune responses became another approach to safer vaccines. One of the most successful is the Salk vaccine that used formaldehyde to inactivate the potentially deadly polio virus. Pasteur was of course one of the giants in the development of safe vaccines, some of which we still use today.8

The first insight into vaccine development arose from the observation that those infected were usually resistant to further infection. That must have been the rationale behind the work of the early Chinese inoculators, as well as Pasteur and Jenner. The challenge was to induce a protective immune response without the disabling effects of the diseases they were trying to guard against. Several of the COVID-19 vaccines developed so far, including the Pfizer-BioNTech and the Moderna vaccines, are highly effective against the original virus and the Delta variant that have caused over 5 million deaths so far, but early epidemiological data and molecular modelling suggest that Omicron may be more likely to show vaccine escape. How much of a threat this represents in terms of serious disease is still uncertain but as the numbers of those infected with Omicron increases, there is tentative evidence that the variant is less severe9 and that some of the existing vaccines remain effective, albeit at a lower level.10 Severity is defined at the population level, that is as the proportion of those infected ending up in hospital or dead, rather than as the distress caused at the individual infected person level. Even in southern Africa, where Omicron was first identified, only preliminary evidence is available.11 Definite answers to the questions that I was asked cannot be answered with certainty. However, complacency is to be avoided as the sparse data that is available does not allow us to infer with sufficient confidence that the Omicron variant is indeed any less likely to lead to hospitalizations than the Delta variant, particularly in the unvaccinated.4 Mathematical modelling and prediction models paint pictures that are only as good as the input data. In the COVID-19 world, the data are a rapidly moving target. Populations vary in age structure, vaccine coverage, particular vaccines used and extent of vaccine escape for each. What we see in South Africa is not necessarily predictive for the dynamics of the infection in other countries. Only a small increase in hospitalization is required to overwhelm healthcare systems already sitting on the razor blade of fatigue and winter woes. For this reason, governments worldwide are scrambling, if not for worst scenarios, at least for bad case scenarios.

It is unlikely that vaccine equity and universal vaccination will be achievable in the near term and much of the world will remain unvaccinated for at least another year. Moreover, there is a large residual pool of unvaccinated people and a time lag imposed by new vaccine development. There will therefore be many more infections, each with an opportunity to generate a new variant of concern through random mutations. If further data show that Omicron produces predominantly mild disease, then this is extremely good news. It would mean that the highly contagious variant would act as a natural vaccine, one that the ancient sages saw when they first came with the idea that deliberate infection with a milder form of contagion might prevent more severe disease. Before the age of modern vaccines, herd immunity against infectious diseases was achieved by this Darwinian evolution and natural infections.

3 WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION

If Omicron turns out to be relatively mild in the previously vaccinated, and particularly in the unvaccinated, it may well be that when we look back at the history of the current pandemic, for all pandemics end, the variant would be seen as a contributor to its solution. Failing this, the outlook is bleak. In a continuing world of haves and have-nots, we hope that Omicron may once again be the instrument of the invisible hand of nature to mitigate the devastation of a dreaded infection; a hand that is more generous than the developed world in sharing its immunizations.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The author declare that there is no conflict of interest.

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What’s the greatest holiday gift: lips, hair, skin? Give the gift of great skin this holiday season

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1 week ago

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October 31, 2024

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Give the gift of great skin this holiday season

Skinstitut Holiday Gift Kits take the stress out of gifting

Toronto, October 31, 2024 – Beauty gifts are at the top of holiday wish lists this year, and Laser Clinics Canada, a leader in advanced beauty treatments and skincare, is taking the pressure out of seasonal shopping. Today, Laser Clincs Canada announces the arrival of its 2024 Holiday Gift Kits, courtesy of Skinstitut, the exclusive skincare line of Laser Clinics Group.

In time for the busy shopping season, the limited-edition Holiday Gifts Kits are available in Laser Clinics locations in the GTA and Ottawa. Clinics are conveniently located in popular shopping centers, including Hillcrest Mall, Square One, CF Sherway Gardens, Scarborough Town Centre, Rideau Centre, Union Station and CF Markville. These limited-edition Kits are available on a first come, first served basis.

“These kits combine our best-selling products, bundled to address the most relevant skin concerns we’re seeing among our clients,” says Christina Ho, Senior Brand & LAM Manager at Laser Clinics Canada. “With several price points available, the kits offer excellent value and suit a variety of gift-giving needs, from those new to cosmeceuticals to those looking to level up their skincare routine. What’s more, these kits are priced with a savings of up to 33 per cent so gift givers can save during the holiday season.

There are two kits to select from, each designed to address key skin concerns and each with a unique theme — Brightening Basics and Hydration Heroes.

Brightening Basics is a mix of everyday essentials for glowing skin for all skin types. The bundle comes in a sleek pink, reusable case and includes three full-sized products: 200ml gentle cleanser, 50ml Moisture Defence (normal skin) and 30ml1% Hyaluronic Complex Serum. The Brightening Basics kit is available at $129, a saving of 33 per cent.

Hydration Heroes is a mix of hydration essentials and active heroes that cater to a wide variety of clients. A perfect stocking stuffer, this bundle includes four deluxe products: Moisture 15 15 ml Defence for normal skin, 10 ml 1% Hyaluronic Complex Serum, 10 ml Retinol Serum and 50 ml Expert Squalane Cleansing Oil. The kit retails at $59.

In addition to the 2024 Holiday Gifts Kits, gift givers can easily add a Laser Clinic Canada gift card to the mix. Offering flexibility, recipients can choose from a wide range of treatments offered by Laser Clinics Canada, or they can expand their collection of exclusive Skinstitut products.

 

Brightening Basics 2024 Holiday Gift Kit by Skinstitut, available exclusively at Laser Clincs Canada clinics and online at skinstitut.ca.

Hydration Heroes 2024 Holiday Gift Kit by Skinstitut – available exclusively at Laser Clincs Canada clinics and online at skinstitut.ca.
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Here is how to prepare your online accounts for when you die

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2 weeks ago

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October 24, 2024

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LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?

It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.

Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:

Apple

The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.

For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.

You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.

Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.

Google

Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.

When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.

You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.

There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.

Facebook and Instagram

Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.

When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.

The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.

You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.

TikTok

The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.

Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.

X

It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.

Passwords

Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?

Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.

But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.

___

Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.

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Pediatric group says doctors should regularly screen kids for reading difficulties

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2 weeks ago

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October 23, 2024

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The Canadian Paediatric Society says doctors should regularly screen children for reading difficulties and dyslexia, calling low literacy a “serious public health concern” that can increase the risk of other problems including anxiety, low self-esteem and behavioural issues, with lifelong consequences.

New guidance issued Wednesday says family doctors, nurses, pediatricians and other medical professionals who care for school-aged kids are in a unique position to help struggling readers access educational and specialty supports, noting that identifying problems early couldhelp kids sooner — when it’s more effective — as well as reveal other possible learning or developmental issues.

The 10 recommendations include regular screening for kids aged four to seven, especially if they belong to groups at higher risk of low literacy, including newcomers to Canada, racialized Canadians and Indigenous Peoples. The society says this can be done in a two-to-three-minute office-based assessment.

Other tips encourage doctors to look for conditions often seen among poor readers such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder; to advocate for early literacy training for pediatric and family medicine residents; to liaise with schools on behalf of families seeking help; and to push provincial and territorial education ministries to integrate evidence-based phonics instruction into curriculums, starting in kindergarten.

Dr. Scott McLeod, one of the authors and chair of the society’s mental health and developmental disabilities committee, said a key goal is to catch kids who may be falling through the cracks and to better connect families to resources, including quicker targeted help from schools.

“Collaboration in this area is so key because we need to move away from the silos of: everything educational must exist within the educational portfolio,” McLeod said in an interview from Calgary, where he is a developmental pediatrician at Alberta Children’s Hospital.

“Reading, yes, it’s education, but it’s also health because we know that literacy impacts health. So I think that a statement like this opens the window to say: Yes, parents can come to their health-care provider to get advice, get recommendations, hopefully start a collaboration with school teachers.”

McLeod noted that pediatricians already look for signs of low literacy in young children by way of a commonly used tool known as the Rourke Baby Record, which offers a checklist of key topics, such as nutrition and developmental benchmarks, to cover in a well-child appointment.

But he said questions about reading could be “a standing item” in checkups and he hoped the society’s statement to medical professionals who care for children “enhances their confidence in being a strong advocate for the child” while spurring partnerships with others involved in a child’s life such as teachers and psychologists.

The guidance said pediatricians also play a key role in detecting and monitoring conditions that often coexist with difficulty reading such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, but McLeod noted that getting such specific diagnoses typically involves a referral to a specialist, during which time a child continues to struggle.

He also acknowledged that some schools can be slow to act without a specific diagnosis from a specialist, and even then a child may end up on a wait list for school interventions.

“Evidence-based reading instruction shouldn’t have to wait for some of that access to specialized assessments to occur,” he said.

“My hope is that (by) having an existing statement or document written by the Canadian Paediatric Society … we’re able to skip a few steps or have some of the early interventions present,” he said.

McLeod added that obtaining specific assessments from medical specialists is “definitely beneficial and advantageous” to know where a child is at, “but having that sort of clear, thorough assessment shouldn’t be a barrier to intervention starting.”

McLeod said the society was partly spurred to act by 2022’s “Right to Read Inquiry Report” from the Ontario Human Rights Commission, which made 157 recommendations to address inequities related to reading instruction in that province.

He called the new guidelines “a big reminder” to pediatric providers, family doctors, school teachers and psychologists of the importance of literacy.

“Early identification of reading difficulty can truly change the trajectory of a child’s life.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2024.

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