Governments opt for different measures to defend against variant

WASHINGTON • Operating once again in a vacuum of evidence, governments have chosen approaches that differ between continents, between neighbouring countries, and even between cities within those countries.

Little is known about Omicron beyond its large number of mutations; it will be weeks, at least, before scientists can say with any confidence whether it is more contagious - early evidence suggests it is - whether it causes more serious illness, and how it responds to vaccines.

In China, which had been increasingly alone in sealing itself off as it sought to eradicate the coronavirus, a newspaper controlled by the Communist Party gloated about democracies that are now following suit as Japan, Australia and other countries gave up flirting with a return to normalcy and slammed their borders shut to the world.

The West, it said, had hoarded vaccines at the expense of poorer regions, and was now paying a price for its selfishness.

In the United States, federal officials called on Monday for vaccinated people to get booster shots. President Joe Biden sought to reassure Americans, saying that the new variant is "a cause for concern, not a cause for panic" and that his administration is already working with drug companies to modify vaccines, should that prove necessary.

"The lack of a consistent and coherent global approach has resulted in a splintered and disjointed response, breeding misunderstanding, misinformation and mistrust," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The WHO convened a three-day special session to discuss a treaty that would ensure prompt sharing of data and technology and equitable access to vaccines.

While the European Union has pushed for the agreement to be legally binding, the US is reluctant to do so.

The EU's health commissioner has urged governments to boost efforts to detect coronavirus mutations, as some lag behind even as the new Omicron variant is detected in the bloc.

"Certain member states lag behind considerably in terms of this crucial dimension," Ms Stella Kyriakides said in a letter seen by Reuters to health ministers of the 27 EU countries. She urged all member states to do more.

In the Nov 29 letter, Ms Kyriakides urged ministers to vaccinate faster and offer boosters urgently. "Already faced with a challenging winter due to the high transmissibility of the Delta variant... we may now experience further or additional pressures because of the appearance of the Omicron variant," she wrote.

Ms Kyriakides also encouraged national authorities to test more people both with molecular and rapid tests. Testing identifies infected individuals and is also the first step before sequencing.

The very proposal underlined the fact that two years into a devastating pandemic that has killed millions, hobbled national economies and robbed many of the world's children of nearly two years of formative experiences, there is still no global plan for getting out of it.

Separately, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Monday that everyone aged 18 and older should get a booster shot, as it looks to tackle the new and highly infectious Omicron strain of the coronavirus that is quickly spreading across the globe.

The update comes after President Biden on Monday called for wider vaccination to curb the spread of Omicron, which was first detected in South Africa.

The US health regulators last week expanded the eligibility for booster shots to all adults aged 18 and older either six months after their initial Pfizer or Moderna vaccine doses or two months after their Johnson & Johnson shot.

The CDC had, however, stopped short of saying that all adults aged 18 to 49 should get the additional shots. The agency is taking a more cautious stance as Omicron's emergence further emphasises the importance of vaccination and boosters, said CDC director Rochelle Walensky in a statement on Monday.

Amid the renewed emphasis, Pfizer and its partner BioNTech are expected to soon ask the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to authorise their booster shots for those aged 16 and 17, the Washington Post reported on Monday, citing sources.

Also, the Wall Street Journal reported that the FDA could approve boosters for those aged 16 and 17 as soon as next week.

Pfizer, BioNTech and the FDA did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

Omicron, which the WHO said carries a very high risk for fuelling infection surges, has now been confirmed in several economies, including Germany, Hong Kong, South Africa and Canada.

Scientists in the US and around the world are urgently examining vaccine effectiveness related to this variant, the CDC said. The agency also said the 47 million adults who are not yet vaccinated are encouraged to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

NYTIMES, REUTERS