Author : Dr. P D Gupta
Former Director Grade Scientist, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad (INDIA), Email: pdg2000@hotmail.com, Cell: 080728 91356
www.daylife.page
Corona is changing so fast the even the book Corona Gyan published in late 2020 has become out dated, the only statement remains true is “... know corona well as you have to live with it...” In the short period of roughly 2years of its existence following mutants were spotted out.
Alpha (B.1.1.7) In late 2020
Beta (B.1.351).
Gamma (P.1). In January 2021,
Delta (B.1.617.2). in India in December 2020. It caused a huge surge in cases in mid-April 2021.
Mu (B.1.621). in Colombia in January
R.1 March 2021 Japan.
Epsilon, Theta, and Zeta
and of course Omicron, the new variant, November 11, 2021 in Botswana.
The genetic material of all Corona viruses is called RNA (ribonucleic acid). When viruses infect they attach to the cells in the body in turn cells, get inside them, and then RNA is replicated and thus they increase in numbers, which helps them spread. If there's a copying mistake, the RNA gets changed. Scientists call those changes mutations.
These changes happen randomly and by accident. It's a normal part of what happens to viruses as they multiply and spread. If a virus has a random change that makes it easier to infect people and it spreads, that variant will become more common. The bottom line is that all viruses, including corona viruses, can change over time.
Omicron is "almost certainly" not more severe than Delta, Dr. Anthony Fauci told AFP on Tuesday. Omicron could even result in milder disease than other variants, But scientists are still waiting on data to know how well antibodies hold up against the variant. Preliminary data from lab testing found that the version of its booster currently in use in the United States and elsewhere provided increased antibody levels to neutralize the virus. But it also found that a double dose of the booster shot provided a much greater increase in those levels.
The vaccine manufacturing companies have different claims about the efficacy of their vaccines some of them started working to develop an omicron-specific booster.
On Dec 13, 2021, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed that a patient in England had died after contracting the omicron . The previous day, prime minister Boris Johnson launched a drive to offer all adults in the UK a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the year. “We are now facing an emergency”, stated Johnson. “There is a tidal wave of omicron coming and I am afraid it is now clear that two doses of vaccine are simply not enough.” WHO categorises the risk associated with omicron as very high. Since November, 2021omicron detected in more than 60 countries. The UK had registered 10 017 cases of omicron. The true caseload is likely to be considerably larger.
It is too soon to know the exact extent to which vaccination or previous infection with SARS-CoV-2 protects against infection with omicron. “It certainly looks like a three-shot vaccination schedule will be needed against omicron”
Much will depend on the scale and severity of the breakthrough infections associated with omicron. Currently, researchers are heavily reliant on the sequencing data for omicron, which reveals more than 30 mutations in the spike protein upon which the COVID-19 vaccines are based, and neutralising antibody data, which shows that the variant has partial but not complete resistance to pre-existing immunity. But vaccine effectiveness is also determined by binding antibodies, which prevent SARS-CoV-2 from getting into the cells, and T-cells, which attack infected cells and help with antibody production.
Although already omicron almost became pandemic, Thank God so far Very few cases of omicron were registered in India. While explaining the Indian scenario about omicron Dr Randeep Guleria, Director, AIIMS, New Delhi said, "It is unlikely that a third wave of COVID-19 of a magnitude comparable to the first and second will hit India. With time the pandemic will take an endemic form. We'll continue to get cases but the severity will be highly reduced." He also suggested two ways to restrict the omicron to spread. One to get vaccine and two to follow the suggestions given earlier at the time of lockdown. According to the WHO "No country will be able to get out of the pandemic with booster doses".
The forecast by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington predicts a peak in late January or early February of as many as 400,000 reported cases per day in the U.S. There were about 250,000 at the height of last winter’s surge. The group projects that most of the infections will be mild. (The author has his own study and views)
