Chief Medical Officer in the Ministry of Health Dr Roshan Parasram has said cases of the Omicron — B.1.1.529 — covid19 variant have now been confirmed in 57 countries and all six World Health Organization (WHO) regions.

Parasram was speaking during the ministry’s covid19 briefing on Wednesday.

He said the variant is on the rise in South Africa, where the variant was first detected and its neighbouring countries, with a 111 per cent increase in cases in South Africa between November 20 and December 5, amounting to 62,021 cases in all.

He said cases are also on the rise in Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Nambia, and Lesotho, adding these countries have low vaccination rates. He said 25 per cent of South Africa’s population is fully vaccinated.

“Preliminary data suggests that omicron mutations may reduce the neutralising activities of antibodies resulting in reduced protection from natural immunity.”

He added, early data last night suggested increased incidents of people presenting in lower age groups.

Parasram also said that in Trinidad and Tobago, because children under 12 are not yet allowed to be vaccinated, it is up to the rest of the population to ensure that they are vaccinated to protect them.

“We need to view the population as a whole and we want everyone who can be vaccinated to be vaccinated. For now, under 12 can’t be vaccinated and we need for rest of the population to get vaccinated and protect that vulnerable group of people in our population.”

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