Reacción a "Rapid reaction to the first case of the Omicron variant detected in Spain"

It is really very difficult to stop the advance of new variants and their introduction into our territory. We have already seen, on more than one occasion, how not much time elapses between the detection of a variant somewhere in the world and its introduction into our territory. The mobility of the population is still very high today, despite the pandemic, and it circulates by many different routes.

Preventing or cancelling direct flights with a given country, unless it is done unanimously and uniformly by the rest of the countries, and all at the same time, does not seem to be the solution. And even meeting this condition does not ensure the effectiveness of this measure.

The best option is probably to maintain and reinforce surveillance of the appearance of the variant and its distribution. This will help to increase our knowledge, which should allow us to know the real extent of this new variant, not only in terms of transmissibility, but also in terms of severity and actual vaccine escape. We will then be able to act with the most appropriate measures and those that are really necessary.

Of course, the emergence of this variant on the African continent, where vaccination coverage is so low, only reinforces the argument that we need to work more decisively to increase vaccination in all countries. This requires not only providing them with more doses, but also with the means (logistical, human and financial) to administer them.