In this seemingly never-ending pandemic, there always seems to be some cause for worry – right now the Omicron variant is ringing alarm bells. We were lulled into a false sense of security in the early months of 2021 which led to the ferocious second wave in the middle months of this year. The Delta variant had scared us all, so when Omicron made its presence felt, the world became vigilant. When the first few cases of Omicron were detected in India recently, we were all worried. How worried do we need to be?
There is much that experts are continuing to discover about this variant but here are some of the Omicron facts as far as we know: As is the case with viruses in general, mutations continue to take place, giving rise to newer variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus as well. This particular variant was detected in South Africa, Botswana and Hong Kong and has been named as a VoC or Variant of Concern by the WHO.
This variant has more mutations than other variants. There are 50 mutations in all and the virus’s spike proteins are found to have as many as 32 mutations. The worry is that with so many mutations, will the body’s antibodies be able to recognise the virus and mount a suitable immune response? Will the immunity acquired by way of vaccination and/or actual infection still be effective against the variant? There is the apprehension that this variant may be able to re-infect people who were infected previously as well as vaccinated individuals.
Those who recall the horrors of second wave of COVID in India have been very wary about Omicron. There is concern that this is a more transmissible version of the virus and that it could spread easily in the population because of this. Early assessments say that Omicron may spread faster than the Delta variant.
The latest worry is that among the first detected cases in India, one person had no history of travel. Many states have issued stringent travel restrictions /requirements after the news of two cases being detected in Karnataka came to light.
As a nation that has suffered terribly during the second wave of COVID last summer, many of us are scared and a lot of Omicron myths have started to circulate as well. It is true that this variant has more mutations than the Delta variant and is hence likely to be more transmissible. However, the large number of mutations could also make this virus less stable.
Experts also say that Omicron may cause less severe disease among those infected. Many of those infected have mild symptoms or may be asymptomatic.
While there is the worry that Omicron will cause breakthrough infections even among vaccinated /previously infected people, this was true also for the Delta variant. We don’t yet know if Omicron causes more breakthrough infections than Delta. The good news is that with all variants, vaccines are our most potent defence and we now have enough vaccine stock in India to up the rate of vaccinations if the right policies are put into place.
Right now, with the amount of information available, there may be no reason to panic. However, there is also no reason to relax our guard or to become complacent. We all need to continue to be careful about mask use, avoiding unnecessary crowds and travel. And last but not least, if you aren't already vaccinated, do get yourself vaccinated – the vaccine is still our best defence against severe disease. Each additional person fully vaccinated makes us all a little bit safer.
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