Omicron: A Blessing in Disguise?


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Dr Edward Nazareth

Dec 11: As on now, the preliminary reports on Omicron, the new variant of Covid-19 suggest that this variant is highly infectious but causes mild illness. Though it is premature to conclude, if Omicron is truly infects many people and causes mild disease in them, it may be the beginning of the end of this deadly pandemic.

Now infamous ‘Omicron’ is the B.1.1.529 variant of Covid-19 virus which was first detected in South Africa in a specimen collected on 9th November 2021. This was reported to World Health Organization (WHO) on 24 November 2021. Two days later, the World Health Organization named it as ‘Omicron’ (the 15th letter of Greek alphabet) and classified it as the ’Variant of Concern’. According to World Health Organization, a variant of concern is a variant that has significantly rise in transmissibility, an increase in fatality and a significant decrease in effectiveness of vaccines, therapy and other health measures.

The variant has more than 30 mutations – around twice as many as the Delta variant – which make it more transmissible and can evade the protection given by prior infection or vaccination. In South Africa, several people who had infection earlier are getting infected. The breakthrough infections in vaccinated people also are high.

More infections, less admissions

Almost after two weeks of expressing this concern, the reports from South Africa suggest that Omicron appears to be a tamed variant that wants to stay with human beings without harming them significantly. The Omicron variant is reaching more countries across Africa and weekly Covid-19 cases in the continent surged by 93%. However, the hospitalizations across South Africa remain low. Africa recorded more than 107000 cases in the week ending on 5 December, up from around 55000. Five countries accounted for 86% of the cases reported over that week and all the sub-regions in the continent – up from one the previous week – reported increases in new cases. Southern Africa recorded the highest increase with a 140% hike. The number of cases of this variant appears to be increasing in almost all provinces in South Africa. However, the data from hospitals indicates that Omicron causes less severe illness. The ICU occupancy has increased only by 6.3% across South Africa between 14 November and 4 December 2021, which is very low compared with the period when the country was facing the peak of the Delta variant in July 2021. With a positivity rate of 29.8%, on 9th December 2021, a total of 22,391 new cases of Covid 19 infection were detected; the deaths due to Covid-19 reported were only 22 in South Africa.

The variant is not causing severe illness either. The hospitals and GPs across Southern Africa are increasingly reporting that the symptoms of the aggressive new strain Omicron are ‘unusual but very mild’. Around 90 per cent of all new infections in the Johannesburg region were caused by the Omicron strain but, the Covid-19 death rate and even hospital admissions appear not to be increasing significantly.

The symptoms of Omicron variant infection appear to be different from the previous virulent strains. The hundreds of infected people across Southern Africa reportedly complain of nausea, headaches, fatigue and a high pulse rate, but none seem to suffer from a loss of taste or smell, which was the most common symptom with other Covid mutations.

Dr Angelique Coetzee who reported the first case of Omicron variant has confirmed that the symptoms were so different and so mild from previous Covid patients she had treated earlier.

Out of more than 1200 admissions due to Omicron variant infections in the last week, 98 were receiving supplemental oxygen and only four were on ventilation. This initial data may not be showing the true picture of the infection because of a small sample size and most of the people admitted to the health facilities were under the age of 40. It is cautioned that as the clinical profile of patients’ changes, the impact of Omicron may change.

It may take two more weeks before we can conclusively state that the Omicron is a strong strain of infection and a weak strain of disease.

Enemy wants to compromise?

Mutation is a blessing for the viruses to survive. It is the property of a virus to undergo changes when it multiplies. The basic structure of virus is the combinations of different amino acids placed at particular places. The spike protein, the surface protein of Covid-19 virus is composed of a linear chain of 1,273 amino acids, neatly folded into a structure. They are like the bricks placed in a proper order to build a structure. As the virus multiplies, it alters some of its amino acids, change their position resulting in new strains. (Some bricks are interchanged so that the structure remains the same, but look alters). These new strains may be stronger than the original or at times weaker. During the process of mutation, some strains die out, while the more effective ones, which spread efficiently, survive.

The Covid-19 virus also has mutated several times. The virus that has spread around the world is not the same as the virus that emerged in Wuhan province of China in late 2019. This is because, like many other viruses, Covid-19 virus has changed in its genetic structure through mutation. Mutation is a blessing from Mother Nature to many of the micro-organisms like viruses so that they survive facing the ‘situations that might eliminate them otherwise’! We have invented vaccines so that the virus may not multiply in a vaccinated person. To overcome this hurdle, the virus has to change its genetic structure- that is exactly what Covid-19 virus has been doing.

But all the mutations may not help the virus to thrive. Many of the mutations are silent: they do not alter the function of the virus in any way, and they don’t result in changes in disease severity or immune responses. Of those that are not silent, many are damaging to virus functions and result in non-viable viruses, and therefore do not survive into a new generation of viruses. It is known that of the 30 plus possible mutations of Covid-19 virus so far, only about 5 have benefitted the virus.

As written earlier, Mother Nature helps the virus to survive. If the mutations make the virus more deadly, it may not give the virus an opportunity to spread efficiently. If the humans get too sick or die quickly from a particular virus, the virus has less opportunity to infect others. As it is seen with delta, more infections from a faster-spreading variant will lead to more hospitalizations and deaths. Therefore for the survival the virus has to infect more and cause less illness. It’s ‘victim’ should not die, probably should not become too sick also. It appears that Omicron variant is a compromise the virus is making with humans!

Omicron, blessing in disguise?

The WHO had warned that preliminary evidence suggests the variant has an increased risk of reinfection and may spread more rapidly than other strains, including Delta. However, some experts are cautiously optimistic that – if Omicron turns out to be less lethal but more contagious and dominant than the Delta variant – the new mutation may actually be a blessing in disguise. If the omicron variant is less pathogenic, with greater infectivity, it will replace earlier deadly Delta variant and it will be a positive change.

If, as some evidence suggests, Omicron turns out to be a fast-spreading virus with mostly mild symptoms in the majority of the people who catch it, that would be a useful step on the road to herd immunity.

The fast spreading mild infection can be like involuntary vaccination. Even if someone doesn’t want to get vaccinated, he or she may not be able to avoid infection by Omicron. It will lead for the formation of antibodies in their system which will make them immune for further infection.

As stated earlier, it is premature to come to any conclusion. Till the picture is clear, we will have to continue to live with the virus as we have lived so far. Getting the vaccination is the only proven way to avoid deadly complications even if one is infected. Wearing the mask, wearing it properly and, avoiding the crowded places are the ways to avoid infection from Covid-19 virus till it totally disappears from this world. Even a weak virus may mutate to become strong and deadly, nothing can be assured!

 

Also read: 

 

 

 

 

  

Top Stories

Comment on this article

  • C.G.Sequeira, Valencia

    Mon, Dec 13 2021

    Thanks to Dr.Edward Nazareth for his informative write up about Omicron virus.

    DisAgree [1] Agree [4] Reply Report Abuse

  • DR KUSUMA KUMARI GUNJI MBBS DGO DNB, Nellore Kodyadka

    Sun, Dec 12 2021

    Hope this variant bring in herd immunity and disease disappears

    DisAgree [3] Agree [6] Reply Report Abuse

  • Rudolf Rodrigues, Mumbai

    Sat, Dec 11 2021

    Dec 09, 2021, 04.29 PM (IST) According to an investigation by the UK-based Channel 4, drug major Pfizer allegedly paid experts to lie about Covid vaccine made by its rival AstraZeneca along with Oxford University. Pfizer has denied the claims being made in the investigative report to be aired on Friday.....

    DisAgree [2] Agree [7] Reply Report Abuse

  • Rudolf Rodrigues, Mumbai

    Sat, Dec 11 2021

    You can’t sue Pfizer or Moderna if you have severe Covid vaccine side effects. The government likely won't compensate you for damages either, why?

    DisAgree Agree [9] Reply Report Abuse

  • Rudolf Rodrigues, Mumbai

    Sat, Dec 11 2021

    Experimental vaccines have been proven totally useless as many people with both jabs still got breakthrough infections and even Omicron; vaccine makers and their bhaktas raked in billions, still suggesting further jabs!

    DisAgree Agree [9] Reply Report Abuse

  • Rudolf Rodrigues, Mumbai

    Sat, Dec 11 2021

    With due respect to the vaccine hypothesis, I would urge all, inquisitive, to listen to Dr. Shankara Chetty who treated, symptomatically, more than 500 people successfully in a very rural setting under tents only by using steroids, antihistamines, antipyretics, and sometimes anticoagulants! The same was successfully emulated by Dr. Anil Kumar Avulappa in rural Bangaluru! Btw, latest news is that this virus was detected in sewage waters in the US much before than in South Africa!

    DisAgree [4] Agree [5] Reply Report Abuse

  • Rohan, Mangalore

    Sat, Dec 11 2021

    The last 3 words of the article says nothing can be assured. In a world where everyone speaks with certainty I like the humility with which doctor has put things across. Thank you. Everything in life is a blessing in disguise solely understood in personally by awakened human beings who understand that everything is subject to change and nothing is permanent. Let us all recognise the disguised blessing around us.

    DisAgree Agree [6] Reply Report Abuse

  • Jossey Saldanha, Raheja Waterfront

    Sat, Dec 11 2021

    Hope to have a Covid Free 2022 ...

    DisAgree Agree [20] Reply Report Abuse

  • Cynthia, Dk

    Sat, Dec 11 2021

    Dotto sir tell me the summary of this article in one line. Don't explain in between the lines that i understood.....

    DisAgree Agree [10] Reply Report Abuse

  • Monty Dotor, Mangalore

    Sat, Dec 11 2021

    Agreed. Getting infected with Omicron is like taking a natural vaccine (free), which will produce robust antibodies. Bye Bye Corona.

    DisAgree [1] Agree [14] Reply Report Abuse

  • Dev, Mangalore

    Sat, Dec 11 2021

    Very informative article with relevant points. Which will help people to overcome media created pandemic scare about an illness which is just like any other seasonal flu. Some myths too are part of this article which are put out by vaccine industries without any scientific evidence. For example vaccines prevent mutations which is contested by many scientists and doctors including a scientist in Gates Foundation who had written letters to WHO and many govts to stop them from vaccinating masses when pandemic is raging as they cause viruses to mutate to survive. Same way any medicines too spur them to mutate to survive. For this reason vaccines fail against mutating viruses like corona unlike natural immunity got through natural infections which lasts life time even after antibodies recede as innate memory helps in recognising the new strain and the infection will be milder for them. The omicron is a blessing in disguise as it won't hurt 100% while imparting lasting immunity. Another interesting point noted was double & triple jabbed had shown symptoms while others were asymptomatic.

    DisAgree [1] Agree [12] Reply Report Abuse


Leave a Comment

Title: Omicron: A Blessing in Disguise?



You have 2000 characters left.

Disclaimer:

Please write your correct name and email address. Kindly do not post any personal, abusive, defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent, discriminatory or unlawful or similar comments. Daijiworld.com will not be responsible for any defamatory message posted under this article.

Please note that sending false messages to insult, defame, intimidate, mislead or deceive people or to intentionally cause public disorder is punishable under law. It is obligatory on Daijiworld to provide the IP address and other details of senders of such comments, to the authority concerned upon request.

Hence, sending offensive comments using daijiworld will be purely at your own risk, and in no way will Daijiworld.com be held responsible.