Question of the day: why has the omicron variant generated so much concern?

To date, there are already several countries in Europe, Asia and America that have restricted flights from southern Africa in order to stop the expansion of the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2. This new strain, detected for the first time in South Africa, was described in record time – a day after the official announcement of its finding – as a variant of concern for the World Health Organization (WHO).

A variant of concern is that version of the virus that. Although omicron continues to be investigated by specialists around the world and it is not yet possible to determine if it will be more dangerous than other high-risk variants, such as delta, alpha, beta and gamma, it has mutations that would suggest that it is.

Ómicron, of which 32 affect the spike protein, used by SARS-CoV-2 to enter human cells. Some of the mutations presented by the new variant have been associated with a greater number of infections, the ability to easily avoid the immunity generated by vaccines and previous infections, and greater virulence, the ability to generate disease.

“. For example, the transmissibility of alpha, the ability to bypass the previous immunity of beta and the virulence of delta and gamma ”, he told Trade Carlos Medina, infectious disease physician and chief of epidemiology at the Cayetano Heredia hospital.

While the world awaits clearer data regarding the characteristics of the omicron variant and the impact it could have, and that people apply basic prevention measures: wearing masks, maintaining social distancing, avoiding meetings in closed places and washing their faces. hands. The pandemic is not over.