COVID-19 Omicron Variant Might ‘Displace’ Delta Variant, South African Studies Show

South African scientists said that infection with the Omicron coronavirus variant could also boost immunity against the earlier Delta strain. Meaning, it can lower the chance of severe illness.

While Omicron has been demonstrated to be highly transmissible and immune to certain antibodies, immunity to future infections from the strain increased 14-fold after two weeks. Study authors Alex Sigal and Khadija Khan of the Africa Health Research Institute in Durban, South Africa, discovered a smaller improvement versus Delta.

"If we are lucky, Omicron is less pathogenic, and this immunity will help push Delta out," said researchers per New York Post.

Omicron Infection Could Boost Delta Immunity

The study, "Omicron Infection Enhances Neutralizing Immunity Against the Delta Variant," is being submitted to preprint medical publication MedRxiv. Bloomberg News said the study is based on 15 subjects, two of whom were eliminated because they could not detectably neutralize Omicron. It has not been subjected to peer review.

Because the subjects had likely had past COVID-19 infections and were mostly vaccinated, the authors say it's unclear if the findings demonstrate the influence of Omicron-elicited antibodies on Delta or the activation of antibodies.

Nonetheless, the current data reveal that the chances of someone infected with Omicron getting reinfected with Delta are slim, suggesting that the latter strain is less prevalent. Omicron is the most common variety in South Africa's fourth wave of infections, resulting in record case numbers. It is quickly becoming the most common strain worldwide.

In July and August, Delta blasted across the country, resulting in many hospitalizations. Omicron is yet to have a significant influence on health care.

The results were especially striking (per New York Times) because the same group's recent investigation found that the opposite was false. Antibodies generated after a Delta infection provided no protection against Omicron.

Sigal theorized that as Omicron raced across the nation, it would leave individuals immune not just to itself but also to Delta. As a result, persons infected with Delta will have fewer chances to spread the virus to others. On the other hand, Omicron will quickly infect patients who have recovered from Delta. Delta may be doomed as a result of its competitive advantage.

Omicron Vs. Delta Variant Explained

Hospitalizations in the United States increased dramatically in the autumn due to the Delta variant, putting a strain on healthcare systems in numerous states. A seven-day average from the Health and Human Services Department as of Dec. 27 revealed that more than 70,000 persons in the United States are hospitalized with COVID-19. It was an increase of three percent over the previous week.

The extremely infectious omicron strain is causing COVID-19 infections in the United States. A CNBC study of statistics from Johns Hopkins University shows that the country recorded an average of more than 237,000 new cases daily for the seven days ending Monday.

According to real-world research from South Africa and the United Kingdom, people infected with Omicron experience fewer symptoms than those infected with Delta.

When compared to Delta, patients infected with Omicron are 50 percent to 70 percent less likely to require hospitalization, according to the UK Health Security Agency. The results are "preliminary and very questionable," according to the FDA, due to the tiny number of omicron hospitalizations now reported, the impossibility to track all previous infections, and the fact that Omicron has not spread significantly among older and hence more vulnerable age groups.

In comparison to Delta, patients infected with Omicron are 70 percent less likely to acquire severe sickness, according to South African researchers. However, they did admit that their study had limitations due to a lack of information on vaccination status and extensive immunity from previous infections.

Even if Omicron proves to be less severe than Delta, epidemiologists fear it might overwhelm hospitals by spreading considerably quicker than Delta.

According to the World Health Organization (per Science Times), Omicron spreads faster than any previous COVID-19 strain. According to a Hong Kong research, Omicron multiplies 70 times quicker in human airways, yet infection in the lungs appears to be less serious.

Check out more news and information on COVID-19 in Science Times.