tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
J Med Virol
. 2022 Jan 26.
doi: 10.1002/jmv.27626. Online ahead of print.
Emerging evidence on Omicron (B.1.1.529) SARS-CoV-2 variant
Vineet Sharma[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Himanshu Rai[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Dev Nath Singh Gautam[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Pradeep Kumar Prajapati[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Rohit Sharma[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
COVID's Omicron variant has sparked a slew of concerns across the globe. This review aims to provide a brief overview of what we know about the Omicron variant right now.The new variant has been discovered in 149 countries across all 6 World Health Organization (WHO) regions since its discovery in South Africa on the 24[SUP]th[/SUP] November, 2021 and became the dominant variant in the country in less than three weeks.The WHO has warned that the B.1.1.529 variant is spreading at an unprecedented rate, and has urged countries to prepare for the worst.Over the course of this time, researchers from Africa and around the world have uncovered a wealth of information about the virus's epidemiology and biological properties. Case numbers are increasing exponentially in hard-hit areas such as South Africa, United Kingdom and USA (overtaking the delta variant) implying that the variant is highly transmissible.Initial research has provided some insights into the efficacy of vaccines against the omicron variant and whether it produces major illness, however, much remains unknown, and additional work is needed to investigate what the initial reports represent in real-world situations. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Keywords: B.1.1.529 variant; COVID-19; Omicron; SARS-Cov-2 coronavirus; transmission rate.
. 2022 Jan 26.
doi: 10.1002/jmv.27626. Online ahead of print.
Emerging evidence on Omicron (B.1.1.529) SARS-CoV-2 variant
Vineet Sharma[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Himanshu Rai[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Dev Nath Singh Gautam[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Pradeep Kumar Prajapati[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Rohit Sharma[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 35083761
- DOI: 10.1002/jmv.27626
Abstract
COVID's Omicron variant has sparked a slew of concerns across the globe. This review aims to provide a brief overview of what we know about the Omicron variant right now.The new variant has been discovered in 149 countries across all 6 World Health Organization (WHO) regions since its discovery in South Africa on the 24[SUP]th[/SUP] November, 2021 and became the dominant variant in the country in less than three weeks.The WHO has warned that the B.1.1.529 variant is spreading at an unprecedented rate, and has urged countries to prepare for the worst.Over the course of this time, researchers from Africa and around the world have uncovered a wealth of information about the virus's epidemiology and biological properties. Case numbers are increasing exponentially in hard-hit areas such as South Africa, United Kingdom and USA (overtaking the delta variant) implying that the variant is highly transmissible.Initial research has provided some insights into the efficacy of vaccines against the omicron variant and whether it produces major illness, however, much remains unknown, and additional work is needed to investigate what the initial reports represent in real-world situations. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Keywords: B.1.1.529 variant; COVID-19; Omicron; SARS-Cov-2 coronavirus; transmission rate.