Omicron: The Clever Viral Strain

Omicron: The Clever Viral Strain

How is Omicron different from Delta?
Studies suggest that Omicron spreads 70 times faster than previous coronavirus variants, especially the Delta variant. The Omicron variant has a total of 60 mutations compared to the previous variant. Omicron is more likely than Delta to re-infect individuals who previously had COVID-19 and to cause “breakthrough infections” in vaccinated people while also attacking the unvaccinated ones. The highly transmissible Omicron variant is driving an unprecedented surge of infections globally. On January 15, The World Health Organization reported a record 15 million new COVID-19 cases for the week of January 3-9. However, Omicron infections are less fatal than the Delta variant, with less risk of hospitalisation.
Five most common symptoms of Omicron:
• Fever
• Cough
• Tiredness
• Loss of taste & smell
• Body ache
Why are fully vaccinated people at risk?
Fully vaccinated people are less likely to develop serious illness than those who are unvaccinated on getting Omicron. In comparison with fully vaccinated people, it is reported that unvaccinated people are 5 times more likely to be infected, 10 times more likely to be hospitalised, and 11 times more likely to die.
What’s booster shot vaccination?
Amid another Covid-19 surge, India has begun giving booster shots of the Covid-19 vaccine to priority groups including health and frontline workers and people above 60 years of age. A COVID booster shot is an additional dose of the vaccine given after the protection provided by the original shot(s) has begun to decrease over time. Typically, you would get a booster shot after the immunity from the initial dose(s) naturally starts to wane. The booster is designed to help people maintain their level of immunity for longer.
How to survive 3rd wave in Kashmir?
The one and only way to protect yourself from the Covid-19 wave is to break the chain of infections. By not taking part in gatherings, crowded events, and close interactions. We need to wear masks to prevent it from entering in or coming out of our body. We need to sanitise our hands and to get fully vaccinated as fast as possible. Apart from it being a pandemic, Covid-19 has emerged as a test of how much human beings can control their interaction with each other and with the community.

—The writer is a student at Department of Biochemistry, Cluster University Srinagar. [email protected]

 

 

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