- “Countries and scientists will remain silent lest they suffer any repercussions,” says the Brazilian who discovered Ômicron
Tulio is Director of the Center for Response and Innovation in Epidemics (CERI) in South Africa, where he has lived since 1997. He is known for leading one of the teams involved in discovering the Omicron variant of the coronavirus in the country and for sharing the data with the World Health Organization (WHO) on November 24.
Oliveira had already been selected by the journal Nature as one of the 10 most influential scientists of 2021. The annual selection aims to highlight the people who have contributed the most to science.
Tulio: “Quick identification of the omicron allowed to prepare hospitals”
The Brazilian led one of the teams involved in the discovery of the omicron in South Africa. In an interview with GloboNews in December, he said that support for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was essential after the omicron was identified. From this contact, he can speak directly to the country’s Minister of Health, Joe Phaahla, and on television.
“I think it’s important to act quickly and have scientific transparency,” he said. “Because this allows for the preparation of hospitals and the world. We have the super transmissible variant, the Ômicron, but the hospitals were prepared. We didn’t fill hospitals completely, the oxygen was prepared, so the mortality is low,” he explained.
He recalled that the variant was identified within 36 hours and, after informing the President, the Minister of Health and the public, a meeting took place within 24 hours with the WHO, which classified the variant as a cause for concern.
According to Oliveira, it was the first time in hours that there had been a discovery, validation and global response. The process typically takes months to respond to, he says. This kept the mortality rate low.