‘Omicron responsible for most Covid-19 deaths’

Sunday Mail Reporter

THE recently discovered Covid-19 Omicron variant is now responsible for most deaths linked to the respiratory disease, the Government has established.

Chief co-ordinator of the national response to the Covid-19 pandemic in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Dr Agnes Mahomva, told The Sunday Mail that data gathered by Government scientists shows that most Covid-19-related deaths were being caused by the new variant.

The Omicron variant, which scientists say is highly transmissible, was first detected in Zimbabwe last month, triggering a fourth wave of infections during the festive season.

The Government has now concluded that the Omicron variant is deadlier compared to the Delta variant, which fuelled the second wave of infections in December 2020. A total 260 Covid-19 deaths were recorded between December 20, 2021 and January 3, compared to 73 recorded during the same period during the Delta variant-fuelled second wave.

Dr Mahomva said genomic sequencing to establish the dominant Covid-19 strain in the country was ongoing.

“Scientists continue to do the genomic sequencing to determine the prevailing and dominant variant in circulation,” she said.

“In that regard, our scientists have found out that a large percentage of the deaths being recorded were from the Omicron variant.”

Dr Mahomva said the country was on high alert for other emerging variants such as the Flurona and IHU variants detected in some countries recently.

She said there was no need for panic because the country was well prepared in the event that new strains are detected.

“We are very prepared as a country, and apart from the fact that these variants are coming from outside the country, we have put in place measures to detect them early.

“There is really no need to worry as long as citizens are adhering to the recommended Covid-19 prevention measures,” she said.

The Government, she added, has authorised the administration of a third Covid-19 vaccine booster shot help boost immunity of those who have been fully vaccinated.

“We have introduced the booster shot and we want to ramp up the vaccination process especially for our frontline health workers. Vaccines are safe and they save lives.”

As at January 07, 2022, Zimbabwe had recorded 221 282 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. Health experts say almost 90 percent of Covid-19 fatalities are of people who were not vaccinated.