5 Facts About Omicron (B.1.1.529)

 

 

It's called the Variant of Concern. 

    Based on the evidence presented indicative of a detrimental change, in COVID-19 epidemiology, the TAG-VE (The Technical Advisory Group on SARSCoV-2 Virus Evolution) has advised WHO (World Health Organization) that this variant should be designated as a VOC and the World Health Organization has designated (B.1.1.529) as a VOC named as Omicron.

So how dangerous is this new variant?

    The B.1.1.529 variant was first reported to WHO from South Africa on 24 November 2021. The epidemiological situation in South Africa has been characterized by three distinct peaks in reported cases, the latest of which was predominantly the Delta variant. In recent weeks, infections have increased steeply, coinciding with the detection of B.1.1.529 variant. The first known confirmed B.1.1.529 infection was from a specimen collected on 9 November 2021. 

 1. Preliminary evidence suggests an increased risk of reinfection with this variant, as compared to other VOCs.

 2.  This new variant seems to spread very quick. 

3. The genetic sequencing showed it carried a large number of troubling mutations on the spike protein - the knoblike structure on the surface of the virus that it uses to grapple onto the cells it infects.

4. It carries a mutation called N501Y (which gave both the Alpha and Gamma their increased transmissibility) and also carries a mutation called D614G which appears to help the virus better attach to the cells it infects.

5. The most predominant clinical complaint is severe fatigue for at least 2 days, with then the headache and the body aches and pain.

    What worries scientists most is the number of mutations affecting the spike protein. That's because most of the leading vaccines target the spike protein. Vaccines made by Pfizer/BioNtech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca and other companies all use just small pieces or genetic sequences of the virus and not the whole virus and all of them use bits of the spike protein to elicit immunity. 

    So a change in the spike protein that made it less recognizable to immune system proteins and cells stimulated by a vaccine would be a problem.

Source: Omicron