Wave of infection with Omikron is already looming in Switzerland
According to an epidemiologist, an omicron wave is looming in Switzerland. In Geneva, the new variant already accounts for eleven percent of the sequenced cases.
the essentials in brief
- Omikron spreads in Switzerland with a doubling time of two to three days.
- It has a transfer rate up to three times higher than Delta.
- An omicron wave is already looming in Switzerland.
In Switzerland, the expected wave of infection with the Omikron virus variant is already looming. The latest figures from the canton of Geneva show that Omikron currently already accounts for eleven percent of all sequenced samples there. The Geneva epidemiologist Olivia Keizer dies in an interview.
The Omikron variant would spread extremely quickly with a doubling time of two to three days. This is what the scientist from the Institute of Global Health at the University of Geneva said in an interview with the “Tages-Anzeiger” (Saturday edition).
According to researchers at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel, the transmission rate of Omikron is almost three times as high as the delta variant that has prevailed up to now. The Federal Council expects on Friday that infections with the Omikron variant will increase significantly before Christmas.
Current figures on the nationwide distribution of the Omikron variant were initially not available. The last figures from the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG) are dated December 5th. At that time, Omikron accounted for 2.1 percent of new infections, but the FOPH stated that the data on the various virus variants were not representative.
For the virus variant classified as worrying by the World Health Organization, an increased transferability and reduced immune protection are suspected. This may result in an increased risk of re-infection and the possibility of reduced vaccination protection. Omikron was first detected in Botswana and South Africa in November 2021.
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