“Omicron, the possibility of hybridization of cold viruses”… South African child patients surge

[앵커]

Research results are coming out one after another that COVID-19’s new mutation, Omicron, has mild symptoms and seems to have high transmission power.

However, the common opinion is that it is difficult to make a conclusion as it is still in the early stages of research.

Omicron infection has already been confirmed in 40 countries around the world, and South Africa, in particular, is concerned that the number of children infected has increased significantly.

Correspondent Lee Jung-min from Washington.

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The genetic code of the virus that causes the common cold was confirmed as a result of analyzing the nucleotide sequence of the omicron by the Conference researchers, a US bioinformation analysis company.

This is a phenomenon that has not been confirmed in the COVID-19 mutation that has been released so far.

Therefore, the researchers believe that the two may have met to form omicrons in a person who was simultaneously infected with the existing Corona 19 virus and a virus that is also a coronavirus but only causes a cold.

If so, it is said that there is a possibility that the transmission power is high and the symptoms are mild like the common cold.

However, the position that more analysis is still needed to make a conclusion is that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is also studying cases of COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases at the same time.

Omicron mutations have spread to at least 40 countries around the world in just over ten days of being reported.

In particular, in South Africa, the daily number of confirmed cases exceeded 16,300, a 6.6-fold increase in nine days, and the South African health authorities explain that 75-80% are likely to be infected with Omicron.

In particular, concerns are growing as the proportion of patients with children has increased significantly.

[은차키시 말루케레/남아공 가우텡주 보건 전문가 : “(지역 병원에) 입원 중인 환자의 7%가 9살 미만입니다. 이전의 대유행 때보다 어린이 비중이 높습니다. 다만 어린이들의 증상이 경미하다는 임상 보고가 있어서 다행입니다.”]

Although the link with Omicron is not clear, South African medical staff are recommending that children not be taken lightly for cold symptoms and should be tested for COVID-19.

In the United States, at least 15 states have so far confirmed cases of Omicron.

The average daily number of new infections returned to the 100,000 level after two months, and the number of hospitalizations and deaths also increased.

This is Lee Jung-min from KBS News from Washington.

Video Editing: Shin-Hyung Kim/Research: Na-Young Kwon