JAKARTA - The world is worried that the presence of the Omicron Variant will be able to make the infection more severe than the Delta. But for a professor from Australia, there is no evidence that the new variant of the corona virus will be more deadly than other types.
"Of the more than 300 cases that have now been diagnosed in many countries, all are very mild or, in fact, have no symptoms at all," Professor Kelly said.
Australia itself has so far recorded seven cases of the Omicron variant. Six of those cases occurred in New South Wales, the country's most populous state.
Many of the hundreds of Omicron infections emerging worldwide occur in inoculated individuals, Prof Kelly said.
However, there is no evidence to suggest that existing COVID-19 vaccines do not work against the newest variant of concern.
"Many of the cases that have been diagnosed in many countries around the world, from travelers who are almost exclusively from southern Africa, have been double-vaccinated," Prof Kelly said.
"But, again, they don't have any serious illnesses. So we'll need to wait and see and gather more information."
Most global travel is done by vaccinated individuals, who were able to travel quarantine-free to different countries before the advent of the Omicron.
The country's most populous state, New South Wales, reported a seventh case of the variant, a person who arrived on November 23 from Doha, Qatar, and noted that the person was not in south Africa, suggesting that the virus was transmitted on a flight.
While Australia's federal government has urged states to avoid returning to the stop-start lockdowns that have dictated the country's virus response, health authorities are urging caution until they know more about Omicron's infection and virulence.
"We know this virus is dangerous, it comes in a number of different forms," New South Wales Health Minister Brad Hazzard told reporters on Thursday. "Don't take it lightly."
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