Omicron Corona Virus Variant: Pandemic Turning into an International Syndicate?

Omicron variant, officially named B.1.1.529 corona virus variant is now persisting in more than 23 countries of the world. Since November 23, when South Africa alerted the world about it, there has been emergence across every nation. Flights were shut down again, RT-PCR tests were increased, economies started falling again, possible lockdowns came into picture and what not. For one time in 2 years our lives were getting normal, and the corona virus variant had its own plans.

But is this the real natural mutation as researchers show the world or it’s just a game being played across the world, an international syndicate? A game to enrich pharmaceutical sector, Aviation Industry and every sector connected to the rise of pandemic.

HIV and Omicron’s Genetic family

Before proceeding further, it is important to know that from where the variant mutated in the first place? Research till now has found that this variant was formed with more than 50 mutations causing 32 genetically changed spike proteins. But how?

While looking at the family tree of the variant, closest sequences traced back to mid-2020s, that is almost a year ago and thus there was no trace of the intermediate versions. There are strong chances of a “Cryptic Spread” – hard to believe. Tulio De Oliveira, one of the prominent research experts, has been warning for months that the people mostly likely to spawn such mutations in sub-Saharan Africa are the roughly 8 million with unrecognized or poorly treated HIV. Largely young, unvaccinated and with debilitated immune systems, these people could “become a factory of variants for the whole world,” he said.

With Johannesburg at its heart, Gauteng province is the epicenter of South Africa’s HIV epidemic. It is home to roughly 20% of South Africa’s 7.5 million people living with HIV. While 40% of global population is fully vaccinated, Africa is completely left out with just 7% vaccination rate. Because of such reasons, there have been strong implications that, virus has been mutated from an immunocompromised person. In such cases, the person’s immune system is still strong enough to prevent the coronavirus from killing the person.

But it’s not strong enough to completely clear the virus. So, the virus lingers inside the person for month after month, continually reproducing. With each replication, there’s a chance it will acquire a mutation that makes it better at evading the person’s antibody-producing immune cells. And various studies, including that of University of Cambridge, Nature Journal, Harvard case study, etc have backed this fact.

Vaccines. Booster Doses. Money. Gamble?

The main reason which offered the growth to in cases and spread of the omicron variant was lack of vaccination drives across the African sub-continent. Most of the current research suggested that omicron cannot dodge neutralizing antibodies and harm the immune system. Even if it did, other aspects of the immune system, particularly T cells, may be less affected by Omicron’s mutations than are antibody responses. The third dose supercharge neutralizing-antibody levels, and is likely to provide a bulwark against Omicron’s ability to evade these antibodies.

Currently it’s a big gamble on, will the administered vaccines be effective? Will the booster doses can show some more efficiency? And many such questions are arising. One industry, which is being most benefited with the current situation is the pharmaceutical industry.

This clearly indicates that big players have got some hefty sum of revenues after the pandemic. No doubt the need, demand and emergence of vaccines have played their part too, but what’s next? How to continue the growth? Booster shots can be a real boost.

Less than 30% of population in South Africa has received 1^st dose of corona virus, and many more under privileged and developing nations have administered even less. At the same time, developed nations and the western world has given 3^rd dose (booster dose) to nearly 12-24% of their population. This “pandemic of unvaccinated” is a threat to entire world and at this rate it will 5 more months to cover 75% of global population to receive atleast 1^st dose.

The Rich Game

This international syndicate continues to play when there are talks of vaccine needs. According to Bloomberg, countries and regions with highest incomes are getting vaccinated 10 times faster than those with lowest. Since the start of global vaccination drives, there was a clear uneven in the access to vaccines and varying degrees of efficiencies in getting shots. In the US, 139 doses have been given per 100 people (ahead of target) and in contrast, African sub-continent haven’ t received a single shipment of shots. Even the most under-developing countries like Cuba had to research and manufacture their own vaccine. Well, their gamble paid-off as 89% Cuban population is now vaccinated, but can all do this?

Delivering billions of vaccines to stop the spread of Covid-19 worldwide is one of the greatest logistical challenges ever undertaken. When one side, some researchers claim that vaccines might reduce efficacy but will continue to prevent severe illness, and the director of the UK’s Oxford Group, which developed the AstraZeneca vaccine, expressed cautious optimism on Saturday that the omicron variant won’t result in a “reboot” of the pandemic.

On the other hand, some of their same researchers exclaim those vaccines won’t work. Booster shots are must. Have travel restrictions. Stop. Have Lockdowns. In this confusion and dilemma, economies have starting falling again. Whether it be cryptocurrency market being routed, or crude oil market falling by 10-15% or Aviation industry stocks having a sharp deep; everyone and everywhere.

Aviation Industry

Talking about the aviation industry, there has been some insider things going on. Where cargo demands have increased by many folds, passenger flights have dropped to lower levels. Some of the nations and regions had ‘unnecessary’ travel bans and regulations. Some of the major airports and exchanges to many cargo and passenger flights had ‘inessential’ guidelines that literally ‘harassed’ the travelers. Undoubtedly, the industry had one of their worst nightmares as losses are reducing, but challenges continue. International Air Transport Association (IATA) stated that cumulative losses are about $201 billion for 2020-2022 in their October AGM.

But as the travel restrictions getting normalized, the industry seems to have more than expected recovery. Passenger flight tickets have sky rocketed like anything. One of the largest airlines of the world, Delta Airlines reported that, “even with the pause and the pace of recovery, we achieved our goal of profitability for the quarter with earnings per share of $0.30, pre-tax profit of $216 million and margin nearly 3% on revenue of $8.3 billion. Total third-quarter operating expense was $7.8 billion.” Similarly, Lufthansa Group sales nearly doubled (+96%) Y-o-Y to 5.2 billion Euros. And Emirates NBDs with strong Q3 results, with net profit up 29% YoY, demonstrate financial resilience and the success of its diversified business model.

Whether or not, gamble has surely been played. What started as a pandemic is now being converted to profit policies and business models of many industries. Tactics, Numbers, figures, profits and earnings; that’s what we have cared about. Some benefited some and others took stand for others. A new era and a new generation will emerge post pandemic. Soon, Tesla will be a big company on planet Mars and one of the pharma leaders on earth will hit a trillion- dollar valuation. Consider it or not, this is the harsh reality…

Read more on how the corona was spreaded in the first place and how there were political twists and turns in the entire plot.
Anthony Fauci: Is the US Equally Responsible for the Spread of Coronavirus?