New Omicron Variant is Spreading Faster than Original: Report
New Delhi: The latest study conducted on the new variant of Omicron shows that the latest version of the highly-infectious omicron variant is transmitting even faster than the original.
Calls for governments to treat Covid-19 as endemic like influenza are rising globally as people grow tired of pandemic restrictions, vaccines become more accessible and deaths remain relatively low.
According to the report of researchers at the University of California, San Francisco the production of neutralizing antibodies during an omicron infection appears related to the severity of the illness. The report was published online before being peer-reviewed.
The second study found a second-generation form of omicron appears even more transmissible than the original.
The findings bolster work from UK health authorities released last week that found the omicron sub-variant appears even more contagious than the original fast-spreading strain. That analysis also showed booster shots remain an effective shield, the UK Health Security Agency said on Friday.
It showed 39% of people infected with the BA.2 sub-variant were likely to infect others in their households, compared with 29% of those who were carrying the original version. The study analyzed data gathered from 8,541 households in December and January in Denmark, where the new sub-variant has become the dominant strain.
While BA.1 is still the most dominant type worldwide, recent trends suggest BA.2 is increasing in some countries including India, South Africa, the UK, and Denmark, the World Health Organization said last month.
(_Vinayak)
