[Reuters]–Scientists are rushing to elucidate the new mutant “Omicron strain” of the new coronavirus and its effects. One of the most important questions is whether the Omicron strain will replace the Delta strain, which is currently the predominant epidemic in the world.
On the 26th, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated the first Omicron strain found in South Africa a few days earlier as a “mute concern”. He is working with researchers around the world to understand the effects of Omicron strains on pandemics, and said that new discoveries will be made in a few days to a few weeks.
Many questions have yet to be answered as to whether the Omicron strain bypasses the protective function of the vaccine or whether it increases the risk of aggravation. However, if the spread of the Omicron strain remains relatively restrained, the degree of concern, even with such properties, is much less.
According to several disease experts interviewed by Reuters, there is already solid evidence that the Omicron strain diminishes the effectiveness of the vaccine.
For example, the Omicron strain has several important mutations that reduce the vaccine efficacy of the beta and gamma strains as well. In addition, the Omicron strain has 26 specific mutations, many of which are targeted by vaccine antibodies.
However, in terms of speed of spread, the Delta strain was much faster than any other mutant strain. “That’s why the question is how infectious the Omicron strain is compared to the Delta strain,” said John Moore, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Cornell University’s Weil Medical College. It’s a very important factor that needs to be done. “
But of all the questions about the Omicron strain, infectivity is likely to be the last answer, experts say. Scientists will be watching whether Delta-infected individuals reported in public databases will begin to replace Omicron-affected individuals. It is believed that it can occur in 3-6 weeks, depending on the speed of infection.
Some information will be available sooner. Professor Peter Hotets of the Baylor College of Medicine, Molecular Virology and Microbiology, predicted that he would be better able to understand the risk of aggravation within two weeks.
At the moment, there are voices saying that the symptoms of people infected with the Omicron strain are extremely mild, but there are variations in reports, such as some people being reported to be in a serious condition at a hospital in South Africa.
Experts expect that the first clue as to whether the Omicron strain will slip through the protective function of the vaccine will come out in two weeks. First data can be obtained by analyzing antibodies after infection with the Omicron strain in blood samples taken from vaccinated animals and research animals.
“Many laboratories are actively working to create Omicron strains and test antibody sensitivity, which will take weeks,” Moore said.
Professor David Ho, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Columbia University, believes that resistance to neutralizing antibodies will be fairly strong, based on the location of mutations in the spikes (protrusions on the surface of the virus) of the Omicron strain. “Vaccine antibodies target three locations in the spikes of the new coronavirus, and the Omicron strain is mutated in all three locations. We biology experts have structural analysis knowledge (of the Omicron strain). I’m much more worried than a public health expert because I have one. “
On the other hand, although there were mutations in previous mutant strains such as beta strains that weakened the vaccine effect, there are opinions that the vaccine helped prevent aggravation and death.
People with this view said that even if the vaccine’s neutralizing antibodies were hard to work, another immune system, such as “T cells” or “B cells,” would likely make up for it.
“The vaccine will continue to prevent hospitalization,” said John Wellie, director of the Penn Institute for Immunology.
In the real world, it will take at least 3-4 weeks for the vaccine effect against the Omicron strain to be known, says Dr. Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota. This is because it is necessary to investigate the rate of so-called “breakthrough infections” in vaccinated people.
Mr. Ho of Columbia University expressed concern about the fact that the Omicron strain is widespread in the presence of Delta strains that have won the competition with all other mutant strains.
Still, some say it’s still unclear if they really should be worried. Hotets pointed out that the specific mutations that led to the expansion of the Omicron strain do not appear to be much different from the Alpha or Delta strains.
(Reporter by Nancy Lapid, reporter by Julie Steenhuysen)
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