Omicron has swept the world and findings show doubts if the pandemic would end any time soon.
New studies suggest that the latest variant of the omicron variant is said to be highly infectious than the original version. The new variant transmits faster than the original one and mild cases of the first variant do not offer much protection against future infections, Indian Express reported.
Omicron has swept the world and findings show doubts if the pandemic would end any time soon. Despite vaccines becoming more accessible with death rates remaining low, people are getting tired of the pandemic restrictions, while calls for governments to treat Covid-19 as an endemic like influenza is on the rise globally.
Reports from researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, that was published online before being peer-reviewed suggests that the production of neutralising antibodies during an omicron infection is related to the severity of the illness. The researchers noted that the milder form of most omicron virus cases amongst vaccinated people may leave those who recover from them still vulnerable to existing viruses and the future variants that may emerge.
The study also found that the protection from a natural infection was about one-third which was obtained through the booster shot. The researchers added that the omicron-induced immunity may not be sufficient to prevent infection from other more pathogenic variants in the future and also noted that the vaccine boosters used for enhancing immunity may not be reliable for protecting against the infection or new strains.
More contagious than the original variant
The second study showed that the second-generation of omicron could be more transmissible than the original version.
The study showed that 39% of people that were infected with BA.2 subvariant were more likely to infect others in their households compared to 29% of those with the original version of the virus. The analysed data was gathered from 8,541 households from December to January in Denmark, where the new subvariant happens to be the more dominant strain in the country.
The investigators added that the risk of infection with either type was higher in those who were unvaccinated, which in a way underlines the positive effects of vaccination.
Other findings from the UK health authorities which was released last week found that the omicron subvariant was more contagious than the original. The UK Health Security Agency also noted that the booster shots remained to be an effective shield against the virus.
While the BA.1 happens to be the dominant globally, the World Health Organisation said last month that the new BA.2 cases could be increasing in some countries like South Africa, Denmark and India.
Note that non of the studies have undergone thorough review by outside experts. The Danish was conducted by scientists at the Technical University of Denmark, Statistics Denmark, University of Copenhagen and Statens Serum Institute, while the other was led by Charles Chiu at the University of California, San Francisco.
Scott Gottlieb, the former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that the omicron subvariant seems to be more contagious, data shows that the virus is not too dangerous or evades the protection from the vaccines.
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