Ground Report | New Delhi: How to protect yourself from Omicron; The first data from a preliminary study indicate that the variant of the omicron coronavirus could evade part of our immunity, according to scientists in South Africa.
Omicron variant likely picked common cold virus
Experts detected an increase in the number of people who contracted COVID multiple times. This is a quick test and not a definitive one, but it fits the concern about mutations in the variant. It’s also unclear what it means for the protection that vaccines provide.
The Omicron variant of the virus that causes Covid-19 likely acquired at least one of its mutations by picking up a fragment of genetic material from another virus, possibly one that causes the common cold, present in the same infected cells, according to the researchers.
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This genetic sequence does not appear in any previous version of the coronavirus, called Sars-CoV-2, but it is ubiquitous in many other viruses, including those that cause the common cold, and also in the human genome, the researchers said.
This genetic sequence does not appear in any previous version of the coronavirus, called SARS-CoV-2, but it is ubiquitous in many other viruses, including those that cause the common cold, and also in the human genome, the researchers said.
This could mean that the virus is more easily transmitted, while only causing mild or asymptomatic illness. Scientists do not yet know if Omicron is more infectious than other variants, causes more serious disease, or will overtake Delta as the most prevalent variant. It may take several weeks to get answers to these questions.
This new mutation could have first occurred in a person infected with both pathogens when a version of SARS-CoV-2 picked up the genetic sequence of the other virus, Soundararajan and colleagues said in the study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed.
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How to protect yourself from Omicron
- People should wear a mask when at crowded events indoors or outdoors, and follow the requirements for wearing a mask indoors in public places.
- Residents must isolate themselves, as required by law, if they test positive for COVID. Close contacts – vaccinated and unvaccinated – who show symptoms should be quarantined.
- Residents who have traveled on vacation will be tested whether they went abroad or to areas of this country with high transmission rates. Also if they participated in meetings and events with a large number of people, some of whom may not be vaccinated.
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