The Omicron variant involves a great deal of apprehension. Lack of information is primarily responsible for this anxiety. Even though more research is required to understand the omicron variant, we will try to answer some of the most common questions people have about it in this article.
First, let’s get to know omicron in more detail. Omicron is the latest variation of the Coronavirus.
Is Omicron A Cause Of Concern?
The Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) has been deemed a variant of concern by WHO because it mutates very rapidly. A variant classified as concern can spread rapidly between individuals and has a greater fatality rate, and the treatment is comparatively less effective.
Because of its rapid mutation, omicron is the fifth variant of concern. In Omicron, more than 30 mutations have been identified.
South Africa was the first country to detect omicron. In India, Karnataka reported the first case of the Omicron variant.
What do the Omicron symptoms look like?
As far as we know, the Coronavirus Omicron is a relatively new variant.
Studies and research are ongoing to determine what the symptoms of omicron are and how they differ from those of other variants. A few Omicron symptoms include, but are not limited to:
- Flu-like symptoms
- Throat pain and itching
- Cough
- Lack of taste or smell (less common)
- Feeling tired and weak
- Headache
- Severe body pain which interferes in any work
- Diarrhea
- Skin rashes
Research shows Omicron affects the immune system. Those who have already recovered from COVID-19 disease may also become infected again by this virus.
Do two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine prevent the spread of Omicron?
Control of the COVID-19 pandemic has been made possible by vaccination. The severity of Corona infection in vaccinated people is relatively low, although they are still susceptible to it.
An analysis of vaccination effectiveness on Omicron is still ongoing. However, numerous research studies have shown that vaccines protect against severe diseases.
Is the Omicron variant riskier than the Delta variant?
Studies indicate that Omicron is a less severe variant of the delta. Therefore, patients with Omicron infection usually do not require hospitalization.
The severity of Omicron is still unknown, but studies so far suggest it is a less severe, quickly transmissible variant. However, the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus is more likely to reinfect.
How infectious is Omicron?
Coronaviruses infect your airways by attaching themselves to cells and making their way inside. They spread more readily because a genetic change makes it stick better. This variant of the virus has 30 different genetic differences than the original, resulting in a spike protein that attaches to your cells.
This experimental data will complement what scientists can observe by looking at real-world infections.
https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/12/01/1040802/how-bad-will-omicron-get/
Scientists are going back and testing samples from the past few months to see where and how fast Omicron spreads. They also check new test results every day to see how many new infections is this variant causing.
Is the vaccine still effective?
The vaccine works like a lock-and-key system. When your body encounters a “key” (the portion of the virus found in a vaccine) that it doesn’t recognize, it makes a “lock” for that key that causes your immune system to recognize and respond.
So, for example, do you remember the spike protein from omicron variants that had those 30 genetic changes?
Because spike proteins were used to create vaccines, there is a concern that the omicron key will look different enough from the key used by our current lock that we will no longer recognize.
To test this, scientists can take antibodies from patients with COVID-19 who have been vaccinated or recovered and mix them with the actual or test virus in the lab-grown lung cells.
They can determine how well the lock still works by how well the antibodies prevent the virus from infecting the cells.
Again, real-world observations will accompany these experiments. For example, our immune systems produce other cells that protect us and are more challenging to measure than antibodies in addition to antibodies. So scientists will closely monitor hospitalizations and deaths among people who have received vaccines or boosters.
As a result of these numbers, we’ll determine whether the current vaccines effectively protect against the variant.
Also, what effect the extra dose may have on our bodies, and whether we will need to modify the vaccines to help our bodies make a new lock for this new key.
How can we protect ourselves against the Omicron variant?
With the increase in reported cases, we need to take extra precautions to prevent infection. However, the measures for prevention remain the same as for the other variants of Coronavirus.
For proper protection, people should not compromise the recommended precautions and guidelines announced by our government.
The mandatory precautions we should follow are:
- Wear mask appropriately
- Maintain social distancing
- Follow proper sanitization practices
- Maintain proper hygiene
- Avoid contacting your eyes and mouth repeatedly
- Take both dosages of covid vaccination
- Have adequate ventilation in working areas
- Avoid crowded places
BOTTOM LINE
The Omicron variant is still under research. Scientists compare it to previous variants to determine how different it is from earlier variants.
