What’s the latest on Omicron
Here's what the latest studies and forecasts from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) say about the Omicron variant
Omicron multiplies faster in the airways, but more slowly in the lungs. This is what some studies on Covid, cited by Reuters , affirm. The research, underlines the news agency, however, requires in-depth analysis and peer review.
WHAT THE STUDY DATA SAY
Studies state that Omicron, compared to the Delta variant, multiplies 70 times faster in the tissues lining the airway passages, which can facilitate person-to-person spread, making it more transmissible.
In lung tissues, however, it replicates 10 times slower than the original version of the coronavirus, which could make the disease less severe.
THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG STUDY
"It is important to note that the severity of the disease in humans is not only determined by the replication of the virus, but also by each person's immune response to the infection," said Dr. Michael Chan Chi-wai who leads a University study. Hong Kong currently under peer review.
The doctor added: “By infecting many more people, a highly infectious virus can cause more serious illness and death, even though the virus itself may be less pathogenic. Therefore, combined with our recent studies showing that the Omicron variant can partially escape vaccine immunity and past infection, the overall threat of the Omicron variant is likely to be very significant. "
HOW THE EXPERTS ARE WORKING
According to some researchers who are analyzing molecular interactions, Omicron appears to "grab" cells more tightly. Understanding how the variant behaves with respect to cells and antibodies will help both predict effects and design neutralizing antibodies.
THE ASYMPTOMATICS
According to a study published in the journal JAMA Network Open and cited by Reuters , infected people who do not show symptoms, that is asymptomatic, could contribute "significantly" to the transmission of the virus.
The data show, in fact, that this occurs in 4 out of 10 cases. The researchers put together the data of 77 studies involving a total of 19,884 individuals who tested positive and found that among the infected people about 40% were asymptomatic.
The distribution of asymptomatic patients was approximately 46% of cases in North America, 44% in Europe and 28% in Asia. The high percentage of cases in which symptoms do not occur shows the potential risk that the variant will spread more and more especially if not contained with isolation and tracking .
WHAT IS SAYING ABOUT VACCINES
Meanwhile,CNN writes , some South African researchers have confirmed that the vaccines provide less protection against the new strain, but also reiterated that Omicron currently appears to cause milder symptoms than other variants, especially in vaccinated people.
This is why in many countries it continues to be recommended toundergo the booster in order to enhance the immune response. According to Andrea Ammon, director of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), however, vaccines alone are not enough and therefore calls for other types of action, especially in view of the Christmas holidays, to reduce transmission.
THE FORECASTS FOR EUROPE
For the ECDC, the risk that the Omicron variant will become dominant in Europe at the beginning of 2022 and lead to an increasing number of hospitalizations and deaths is "very high" .
For Ammon, it remains "a priority to use masks appropriately, telework, prevent crowding in public spaces, reduce crowding on public transport, stay at home in case of illness, maintain hand and respiratory hygiene measures and ensure adequate ventilation in closed spaces ".
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/sanita/quali-sono-le-ultime-novita-su-omicron/ on Thu, 16 Dec 2021 09:29:10 +0000.