The fact that a SARS-CoV-2 infection in the Netherlands which occurred before the South African announcement has now been shown to be of the new omicron variant may give some hope. It clearly raised no special alarm at the time of first diagnosis, suggesting that omicron is not more lethal than the currently most widespread strains. The major question remaining is whether existing vaccines offer the same degree of immunity or at least protection from serious complications. However, both Pfizer and Moderna have confirmed that their vaccines can be tweaked within months to recognise the new strain specifically should it be necessary. One would expect AstraZeneca to be able to offer the same assurance.
The Netherlands analysis also throws open the question of the origin of the variant, though the dates do not rule out an infected person bringing the virus to Europe. The odds must still be on a sub-Saharan African source, given the vast pool of unvaccinated people there, a population also affected by HIV. This situation must be tackled by the major nations, acting independently of the slow-moving UN agencies if necessary.
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