Why so much hype about Omicron?

The emergence of Omicron has happened at a time when most countries in the world looked like they were getting out of the shadow of Covid-19 pandemic. But we are into another bizarre world of renewed worries!

The new variant, dubbed as a “variant of concern”, has been detected in over two dozen countries and sent scurrying back under the safety of fresh restrictions.

However, much remains unknown about the effects of Omicron. So should we be scared or sanguine? What we know is that the variant is confusing and puzzling. The World Health Organization (WHO) says there has not been any death related to the new variant but people should still be aware of the risks.

"We're in a different situation today than we were at the beginning of 2020, we have tools, we know what to do. We know what works. This is something we had expected, that new variants would emerge, we've been through rounds of other variants," says Soumya Swaminathan, WHO's Chief Scientist.

She also says it is something to worry about, as “we didn't want to see another variant emerge and spread around the world at this stage of the pandemic, certainly not what we wanted, but we're not entirely surprised and I think we're much better prepared to handle it."

If her words are to be believed, then why so much hype that has stirred up worries in the world, pounding markets, triggering travel bans and raising a number of questions.

A reading between the lines shows a lot of overreaction with media coverage focusing on the potential scary outcomes of Omicron. I believe there is only very little information so far. What we witness is confusion around whether or not Omicron will actually spread more easily than other strains of the virus.

In its official statement, WHO said that the new variant is not as dangerous as the ones that emerged before, and till now, no death has been reported due to the Omicron variant, which is a good sign for all the countries.

Then why did different governments and the media press the panic button before ascertaining how the mutations in Omicron may affect the virus’ transmissibility and mortality rate and whether or not existing vaccines are effective against it?

This has forced people to tweet like "journalists, particularly newsroom leaders who set the tone of coverage, should resist the temptation to hype conjecture."

Experts say it is too early to determine whether Omicron is likely to infect people who are vaccinated against Covid-19, and whether it brings a bigger threat of severe illness.

But we are more equipped today to fight the variant than we had been before the breakout of the pandemic two years back. With good public health mitigation efforts, we should be able to reduce the spread and its risk.

As suggestions emerge that the Omicron variant may be more contagious or transmissible in nature, as compared to the Delta variant, which caused the deadly second wave of the pandemic, we should be more cautious.

So get vaccinated if you haven’t yet, get a booster if you’re eligible and step up other precautions you may have relaxed, like wearing a mask and avoiding crowds. If possible, avoid eating out at restaurants and being inside public places where masks cannot be used.

For gathering with family and friends, make sure everyone is vaccinated!