<Anchor> In



order to get back to normal life in the new year, you need to prevent omicron mutation well. So we asked the South African expert who first identified the micron mutation, what its characteristics and countermeasures might be.



Watch Correspondent Kim Soo-hyung's exclusive interview, and we'll connect directly to Washington.



<Reporter>



Dr. Tulio de Oliveira, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Response Innovation in South Africa, identified the identity of the omicron-mutated virus with 32 gene mutations in the spike protein and disclosed it for the first time in the world on the 25th of last month.



Based on his report, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated Omicron as a mutant of concern, and for this achievement, Nature selected him as one of the top 10 scientists of the year.



Dr. De Oliveira refutes the claims of some that Omicron is spreading horribly, but the symptoms are mild and can be a Christmas gift for mankind.



[Tulio de Oliveira/Director of the Center for Epidemic Response Innovation in South Africa: I would not call Omicron a Christmas gift. The early discovery of Omicron in South Africa is a Christmas gift for the whole world.] Although the



vaccination rate in South Africa is around 30%, it is estimated that 70% of the population recovers from Corona, and many of them have immunity. I did.



Because of this, the symptoms of Omicron appear to be lighter than they actually are.



[Tulio de Oliveira/Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Response Innovation in South Africa: The reason Omicron's symptoms seem mild is due to the vaccination and previous infection with the coronavirus.] The



vaccine does not prevent the spread of Omicron, but it prevents the serious consequences. emphasized that it was confirmed.



[Tulio de Oliveira/Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Response Innovation in South Africa: (Do you think vaccination is effective enough for Omicron? If there are people who have not been vaccinated, would you recommend that they get vaccinated now?) Yes. Naturally. I would recommend getting vaccinated. We found that the vaccine is very effective because it prevents hospitalizations and deaths from coronavirus. In particular, if the last vaccine has passed 2-3 months, booster vaccination should be seriously considered.] The fact that the



number of confirmed

cases in

South Africa has decreased sharply is that the diagnostic test is likely to be delayed due to Christmas holidays, etc., raising optimism. bordered.



Dr. De Oliveira said he received death threats as countries around the world imposed travel bans to South Africa.



[Tulio de Oliveira / Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Response Innovation in South Africa: We received many (murder) threats. Personally, I got a lot. We, as scientists, believe that the travel ban has no effect at all because it is an economic punishment.]



He stressed the need to ensure transboundary travel by expanding coronavirus testing before and after entry for vaccinated persons.



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<Anchor>



Correspondent Kim Soo-hyung, I enjoyed the interview. I heard that Dr. De Oliveira gave Korea some advice on countermeasures against Omicron. What was it?



<Reporter>



Yes, he advised that it is most important not to fall into the Omicron fear in Korea, which has the highest vaccination rate in the world.



Right now, a large number of people gathered at the year-end and beginning of the year event to emphasize the need to prevent large-scale transmission of Omicron, he said.



Let's hear it for yourself.



[Tulio de Oliveira/Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Response Innovation in South Africa: Fear and fear do not help. What I want to say is very important to Korea: hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Efforts must continue to increase vaccination. In particular, you should avoid year-end events where (Omicron) can spread.]



<Anchor>



Europe and the US have the highest number of confirmed cases every day, how is the atmosphere, similar to when it was very serious?



<Reporter>



The United States is going back to the beginning of this year, when it faced the worst Corona situation.



There are long lines at each test station, and self-diagnosis machines are distributed free of charge everywhere.



As Omicron is spreading so quickly, the idea is to let individuals first identify the infection on their own with a self-diagnostic device.



The biggest problem is that there are over 60 million Americans who are not vaccinated, have never been infected with the coronavirus and have no immunity at all.



There are many targets that Omicron can easily attack, but there are many prospects that the situation in the future will not be easy.



(Video coverage: Oh Jeong-sik, video editing: Kim Ho-jin, Jeon Min-gyu)



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