Omicron Virus - Known Facts

Introduction

The latest strain of the Covid-19 virus is known as Omicron. It has become a threat to the world as it spreads rapidly in the community.  World Health Organization (WHO) has chosen to put this variant on the watch list as its global repercussions are uncertain. We cannot say whether it will infect people globally or not. Hence, there is a lot of speculation in the public domain about this virus. In this article, we will walk you through the available details of this virus.

Omicron - Covid-19 Variant

WHO has called Omicron a variant of concern due to various factors. According to the emerging evidence from the latest studies, this variant has several mutations on its spike proteins that enable it to evade the immune attacks of human bodies. Hence, the public health experts do not know about its behavior in the human body. Moreover, there are uncertainties regarding its emergence and behavior. Many labs are trying to determine its re-infection risk, transmissibility, and severity.

Emergence of Omicron

Usually, the circulating viruses cause numerous infections, and they mutate fast to emerge stronger. Hence, the more virus spreads, the more opportunities it gets to mutate its genetic makeup to become strong against the human immune responses. 

The latest studies indicate that it has as many as 50 mutations in its spike protein. This altered protein helps the virus adhere firmly to cells of the human body. Since the mutations have improved the affinity of the spike proteins for the cell surface proteins, it has improved the ability to spread among the population. So, the emergence of new variants like Omicron has given us the grim reminder that the Covid-19 pandemic is far from over. So, people should become vaccinated when the vaccines become available to them. In addition, they need to adhere to the existing Covid-appropriate guidelines to prevent different variants of Covid-19, including Omicron, from further spreading in the world. As per these guidelines, the WHO has advised people to keep social distancing, do regular hand-washing, wear masks in public places, and keep indoors properly ventilated and sanitized.  

Are Omicron infections more contagious and severe?

According to the latest studies, Omicron is getting transmitted easily compared to other Covid-19 variants.  Based on the recent data on Omicron infections, World Health Organization believes that the Omicron variant will outpace the deadly Delta variant shortly in terms of the rate of infections.

Early findings suggest that the symptoms due to Omicron infection are less severe when compared to those due to the Delta variant. However, more data from the clinical studies need to become available for the experts to analyze the severity of Omicron infection. That is why WHO has asked people not to remain complacent about this infection. The World Health Organization tells people that all Covid-19 variants can cause severe disease and even death.

Omicron Infection - Safeguards

There are many safeguards against Omicron infections. They include timely vaccination and sticking to the Covid-appropriate behavior. Though it is still early days to determine the effectiveness of vaccination against Omicron infections, the efficacy of the vaccine regimen to fight against the Covid-19 is getting more and more under the cloud.  We do not have sufficient data to show whether the existing vaccines work against the most recent variant. It is becoming slowly clear from the emerging data that these vaccines may not work that effectively against the new variant of the virus. However, it is safe to surmise that the overall efficacy of the existing vaccines cannot be contested even in the changed scenario.

Re-infection

WHO has already alerted people globally that the previous Covid-19 infection does not give them sufficient protection against Omicron disease. It is due to the extensive mutation in the spike proteins that help the viruses adhere to the cell surface. The information available in the public domain is still limited to think otherwise. Hence, getting vaccinated and observing the Covid-19-appropriate behavior are the only means of getting adequate safeguards against the Omicron contagion.

Common Omicron Symptoms

According to South African experts who first spotted the Omicron variant, the clinical symptoms shown by the affected people are fever, dry cough, body pains, and night sweats. The doctors treating such patients observed that the vaccinated ones had much milder symptoms when compared to those who did not vaccinate. Some affected patients complained about the loss of smell as well.