BackWHO launches tracker to study, share details on covid variant
India has reported 8,306 covid cases in last 24 hours, 21 cases of the Omicron variant
PremiumNEW DELHI : The World Health Organization has launched the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant assays and animal models study tracker, even as the highly mutant variant is spreading fast across the globe.
The tracker compiles information that will facilitate matching those who have materials for Omicron-related studies with those who need them. The WHO’s research and development blueprint working groups on covid-19 assays and animal models met on 29 November to discuss action plans and knowledge about the emerging SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant of concern first identified in South Africa’s Gauteng province.
There is an urgent need to evaluate the cross-reactivity, transmissibility, and pathogenicity of the Omicron variant because of multiple mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, the apex UN health agency has realized.
The WHO has already been conducting research studies on variants of the SARS-CoV2 virus as the global understanding of the natural history of covid-19, clinical features, prognostic factors, and outcomes remain incomplete.
The WHO recently developed a global clinical platform for patient-level anonymized clinical data. This is a secure, limited-access, password-protected platform hosted on OpenClinica, a clinical data management system. It aims to describe the clinical characteristics of covid-19, assess the variations in clinical characteristics, identify the association of clinical characteristics with outcomes, and describe the temporal trends in clinical characteristics.
The WHO has asked member states and health facilities to participate in the global effort to collect anonymized clinical data relating to suspected or confirmed cases of covid-19 and share the data with the clinical platform.
“We encourage all doctors taking care of Omicron infected patients to submit data to the WHO patient data platform. This will enable us to get accurate information about the clinical profile of this variant as quickly as possible," said WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan.
At least 8,306 new coronavirus cases were reported in the last 24 hours in India. The country has reported 21 cases of the Omicron variant.
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