The SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a standstill when it first spread across the world at the starting of 2020. Amidst lockdowns and strict travel restrictions, the virus kept on mutating as it spread among more people. When finally it seemed like the worst was behind us (thanks to an extensive vaccination scheme), we got the news that there’s a new strain doing the rounds! Omicron strain is the latest mutation, first identified by best scientists in South Africa.
All about the Omicron strain
Scientists in South Africa reported the development of a new strain of the COVID-19 virus, called the B.1.1.529 on November 24th, 2021. The World Health Organization (WHO) named it Omicron, following the tradition of using Greek nomenclature to denote the strains of the virus. The strains before the Omicron were named alpha, beta, gamma, Delta variant and so on. The all new variant (Omicron) has been named while skipping the two letters in the Greek alphabet ‘Nu’ and ‘Xi’.[1]
When we talk about the origin story of this variant, experts from South Africa notified on 2nd December 2021 that the origin of Omicron was unknown. On the other hand, as per theories released by Livescience, the Omicron variant was believed to have possibly evolved in rodents. Whichever statement might be true, it can be said that not much is known about the Omicron variant and further studies are underway. But with the spread of the Omicron variant, researchers also shared thoughts of the COVID-19 virus becoming endemic.
The health implications of the Omicron strain are still being tested by scientists around the world, however, the number of positive COVID-19 tests in South Africa indicate that this new strain is potentially fast-spreading because the Omicron strain has a high number of mutations in the ‘spike protein’ associated with COVID-19. [2]
It is important to maintain safety protocols as the virus is already seeing a spread in Asia and other nations like Israel, the United Kingdom, the US, Belgium, Botswana, Canada and Hong Kong. The WHO considers this as a Variant of Concern (VOC) for now, and many countries gearing up to issue travel bans as a response to stop its spread.
How does Omicron affect us?
By now, you might be feeling quite gloomy after knowing that cases of Omicron have been confirmed in India. You might also be wondering how this new strain affects you and the health implications it has. There are a lot of assumptions like getting affected by the Omicron strain is more likely for people who have already been affected by COVID-19 before, Currently, only mild infections have been noticed among individuals affected by this strain and so on.
Whether the Omicron strain can trigger severe symptoms and effects will be confirmed only after further testing. There are concerns about the Omicron strain having the ability to evade the immune system and cause breakthrough vaccine infections (infection after getting vaccinated). For now, reinfection of individuals remains the biggest risk posed by this virus (till further studies suggest otherwise). [3]
How is Omicron different from the Delta variant?
The Delta variant of COVID-19 was discovered first in India and was responsible for the 2nd wave of the pandemic in the country. According to current studies, the Omicron variant has many more mutations in its spike protein than the Delta variant. It is assumed that this variant can be is more transmissible than the Delta variant, which can be a cause for concern.
The Delta variant of the virus is responsible for heavy infections and mortality. The Delta variant of the virus is a lethal variant, and current reports are yet to confirm the severity of illness caused by the Omicron variant. The reinfection rate and the transmissibility rate is predicted to be much higher in the Omicron variant But, more studies and data are needed for a better understanding of this variant.
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