Latest Study on the Omicron Variant Shows It Replicates 70 Times Faster in the Airways
The research helps explain why this variant is spreading at such a fast pace
--
Just when it felt like the pandemic was growing more manageable with lower cases and kids aged 5 to 11 eligible for the vaccine, a new variant emerged, throwing previous hopes out the window. And now, it’s beginning to dawn on many of us that Covid isn’t going anywhere, anytime soon.
Omicron is upending travel plans and causing colleges to move finals and classes online. Omicron is spreading across the world at alarming rates.
The reason why may come from the latest information we have on the highly contagious omicron variant from researchers at Hong Kong University’s faculty of medicine.
The study, which is under peer review, showed that omicron is replicating in the airways 70 times faster than the delta variant. However, the researchers did say the variant appears to cause a less severe lung infection than other Covid variants.
A highly transmissible variant
This study is the first bit of information we have about how the omicron variant infects people. The higher rate of replication could be why omicron is spreading so rapidly among the world’s population. Other news from the study showed that the lung infection is lower than the original Covid infection, however, this doesn’t mean that omicron is nothing to worry about.
Omicron seems to multiply quickly in the airways, rather than the lungs, compared to other variants.
Leading the study is Dr. Michael Chan Chi-wai. Chan noted in a statement that the less severe infection does not necessarily mean the disease would be milder for everyone. “It is important to note that the severity of disease in humans is not determined only by virus replication but also by the host immune response to the infection,” Chan said in the statement.
Chan also said, “It is also noted that, by infecting many more people, a very infectious virus may cause more severe disease and death even though the virus itself may be less pathogenic. Therefore, taken together with our recent studies showing that the Omicron variant can partially escape immunity from vaccines and past infection, the overall threat from Omicron variant is likely to be very significant.”
If you haven’t had your booster yet, get one
According to a media briefing from the White House, a two-dose Pfizer vaccine is only 33% effective against omicron. But when you add a booster dose, it “maintains a 70 percent effectiveness.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the president’s chief medical adviser, said during the briefing, “our booster vaccine regimens work against omicron. At this point, there is no need for a variant-specific booster.”
He continued, “the message remains clear: If you are unvaccinated, get vaccinated. And particularly in the arena of Omicron, if you are fully vaccinated, get your booster shot.”
Read the CDC’s guide to holiday gatherings here.
