Omicron Likely Evades Vaccines, But Symptoms Mild So Far: Scientists
NDTV
The new variant's mutations suggest that it is likely to evade the protections of vaccines to at least some extent, but that it is unlikely to cause more severe illness than previous versions of the coronavirus.
As fears of another global surge of Covid-19 cases send jitters through global markets, spur a new round of travel bans and cause Americans to rethink their holiday plans, scientists studying the omicron variant are getting the first hints of what's in store for the months to come.
The new variant's mutations suggest that it is likely to evade the protections of vaccines to at least some extent, but that it is unlikely to cause more severe illness than previous versions of the coronavirus.
These early hypotheses appear in line with real-world observations from places like South Africa, where infections have included the vaccinated and previously ill but appear so far largely mild. That data, however, is thus far extremely limited, so much current evidence has come from computer modeling and comparing omicron's physical structure to past variants.
A lot remains a mystery about omicron, which has more than twice the number of mutations as the delta variant, with the bulk found in the spike, the crown-like protein on the surface of the virus that vaccines train our bodies to attack. The appearance of such a highly mutated virus nearly two years into the pandemic caught the scientific community by surprise, as many had hypothesized that the ultra-contagious delta variant might mark the last major wave, peaking and then eventually burning out, much like the 1918 influenza pandemic.
