Several studies suggest that the novel omicron version of the coronavirus is significantly more infectious and impairs the efficiency of COVID-19 vaccinations.
Although the variation appears to cause largely minor sickness so far, international health authorities have cautioned that it might unleash a wave of illness that would cripple health systems.
"Omicron is spreading at a rate we have not seen with any previous variant," said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization (via USA Today).
According to Ghebreyesus, Omicron has now been discovered in 77 nations. Though the Delta variant currently dominates the American epidemic, it has been found in at least 30 states in the United States.
Omicron's Resistance to COVID-19 Vaccine
According to Columbia University experts, the Omicron type may be immune to vaccines and booster doses, which might be disastrous for the country.
The New York Post, citing the researchers, noted that many spike mutations pose a danger to the effectiveness of existing COVID-19 vaccines and antibody therapy.
Combining Omicron's transmissibility with its vaccine-immunity trait may soon overtake the Delta variation as the most common COVID-19 strain in the United States.
The study's experts stressed that it is not unreasonable to believe that COVID-19 is now just a mutation or two away from becoming pan-antibody resistant. Researchers also urged other scientists to invent techniques that anticipate the virus's development and create agents that target more conserved viral components.
The problem is continually evolving, and scientists have yet to develop a new way to combat this threat. For the time being, Americans are being encouraged to receive their booster injections, even to counteract the prior variations.
The White House has revealed the "tragic milestone" of 800,000 fatalities due to COVID-19 earlier this week. President Joe Biden also issued a statement at the event. He said: "I urge all Americans: do your patriotic duty to keep our country safe, to protect yourself and those around you, and to honor the memory of all those we have lost."
Omicron Variant Spread Rate Unveiled
The newest findings on Omicron were just released by researchers from the University of Hong Kong. According to another New York Post report, the virus "replicated less efficiently (more than 10 times lower) in human lung tissue than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus, which may signal reduced disease severity."
This means that victims may not be subjected to serious disease or death. However, the virus still poses a threat since it spreads quicker between humans than any prior variants.
The virus might "very likely" spread among vaccinated and unprotected persons if underestimated. Researchers hypothesized that once the Omicron version infects more people, it will develop into a more severe form. According to experts, the Omicron variant has a second flaw in addition to its spread rate.
RELATED ARTICLE : New Version of Omicron COVID-19 Variant Recently Detected; 'Stealth' Variant May Be Harder to Track
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