CUBA working to develop specific vaccines to fight Omicron variant

HAVANA, Nov 30 (Prensa Latina)  - Cuban scientists are already working on the development of specific vaccines to fight Omicron variant, a mutation detected in South Africa and possibly more transmissible than Delta, an official source confirmed Tuesday, Eduardo Martínez Díaz, President of the Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Industries Group (BioCubaFarma), tweeted.

 The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that Omicron variant has a very unusual wide range of mutations, which could help evade the body’s immune response and make it more transmissible.

Observamos con detenimiento los reportes sobre el comportamiento de la nueva variante Omicron. Ya estamos diseñando vacunas específicas. Si fuera necesario, en poco tiempo la desarrollaremos. #CubaEsCiencia #CubaViveYRenace pic.twitter.com/5U3Z3gUxZL

— Eduardo Martínez Díaz (@EdMartBCF) November 30, 2021

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Omicron has a level-2 effective reproduction value, a transmission point never seen since the outbreak of Covid-19. Variant B.1.1.529 has an unusually high number of mutations, with more than 30 in the key spike protein, WHO said.

According to WHO experts, the genomic sequence of Omicron variant shows 55 mutations compared to Covid-19, 32 of them located in protein S or spike.

Experts considered that much remains to be learned from this mutation, for example if it generates more hospital risk, clinical severity and deaths, plus a reduction in the effectiveness of vaccines.

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