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What is a new variant? Viruses have one aim: to survive and propagate- which they can only do by invading host tissues as they lack the “machinery” to replicate on their own. With this in mind, viruses constantly change to form new “variants.” Some variants emerge and disappear, some persist. Variants which allow a virus to spread more easily or to evade treatment or vaccination are termed “variants of concern.” Background to Omicron On the 24th November 2021 (only 2 weeks ago!) a new variant of then SARSCoV2 virus (B.1.1.529, named Omicron) was reported to the World Health Organization. Only two days later it was declared as a “variant of concern.” Within 2 weeks, the Omicron variant has become the dominant variant circulating throughout most of South Africa. Is Omicron more catchy? We are awaiting more data, but at this stage it seems that Omicron is even more transmissible than…

Some individuals experience ongoing health problems weeks after the initial onset of COVID symptoms, including fatigue, cardiorespiratory and neurological symptoms. This phenomenon is known as Long-COVID. The prevalence of Long COVID is NOT known in children, especially as the highly catchy delta variant has not yet been as well studied for its long-term effects in children. Estimating the real prevalence of Long-COVID is also complicated by the mental and physical effects of school closures, lack of socializing and general COVID “worry” that can present in a similar way. Nonetheless, Long COVID is REAL and some countries have estimated that up to 14% of children with COVID may still have symptoms 5 weeks or more after infection (UK Office for National Statistics). We have certainly seen quite a few children with Long COVID in our practice- especially teenage girls- and it can be debilitating. Some of the reported and observed symptoms…

With the delta variant of SarsCoV2 roaring through the world, doubt has been cast on the concept of herd immunity and the value of the vaccine. Allow me to try and clarify: – When the SARS-CoV2 virus first surfaced, it was new to everyone’s immune systems worldwide, hence- meeting little resistance- it spread rapidly. With every new variant, we’ve seen further “waves” of spread in susceptible people. – When most of a population is immune to an infectious disease, this provides indirect protection (or “herd immunity”) to those who are not immune. – There are 2 ways to achieve herd immunity: either a large proportion of the population gets infected OR gets a protective vaccine. Relying on most of the population to get infected with SARS-CoV2 would be ludicrous because complications can be devastating…hence the urgent need to get as many people as possible vaccinated, ASAP. – Scientists previously thought…

The so-called Delta-variant of the SARS CoV2 virus, which was first detected in India, is starting to sweep through the world. Currently, it is the variant most commonly detected in Gauteng, which is suffering a heavy 3rd wave of COVID-19. It has been detected in the Western Cape too and is predicted to become the dominant variant here very soon. The Delta variant is far more transmissible than the original virus, and even more transmissible than the beta variant, which plagued us over December/January. We are seeing entire families being infected, hence it appears that more children are also being affected by this “wave.” It is NOT currently thought that this delta variant causes more serious disease than the other variants, BUT because it is so transmissible, out hospitals and ICU’s are filling up fast by the sheer number of people infected. It seems that having had infection with the…