Sri Lanka records 41 new cases of Omicron variant

Sri Lanka has detected 41 new cases of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 (B.1.1.529), says Dr. Chandima Jeewandara, the Director of the Department of Immunology & Molecular Medicine at Sri Jayewardenepura University.

This brings the total number of Omicron cases confirmed by the Sri Jayewardenepura University’s lab so far to 45.

In a Twitter thread, Dr. Jeewandara said the booster dose of Covid-19 vaccine is a priority to prevent severe disease.

He went on to urge the general public to take their third vaccine dose without delay.

31.12.2021: We declare 41 new cases of Omicron from our lab (A total of 45 confirmed our lab so far). We are equipped. Please use the booster vaccine to protect you and your loved ones!

— Chandima Jeewandara (@chandi2012) December 31, 2021

Sri Lanka confirmed its first Omicron case on December 03 in a Sri Lankan national who had returned from a West African country. Three more cases were later confirmed by the USJ lab on December 16 including that of a foreign national.

The World Health Organization (WHO) designated Omicron a variant of concern on November 26, soon after it was first detected by scientists in South Africa.

Scientists remain uncertain how dangerous the new strain is. However, early data suggests it can be more resistant to vaccines and more transmissible than the Delta variant.

The WHO has warned that Omicron is spreading rapidly in countries with high levels of population immunity. But it is unclear if this is due to the ability of the virus to evade immunity, its inherent increased transmissibility or a combination of both.