‘Omicron has rare and never-seen-before mutations’

Recent data from South Africa and other countries in combination with mutation data suggest that the Omicron variant of Covid-19 is highly transmissible, meaning it can spread faster among the community. This could be a matter of concern as too many persons can get infected at the same time and chances of community spread are high, says Dr Satish Ranjan, a Germany-based molecular immunologist, who is also Group Leader (Junior) at the Institute of Advanced Materials, Sweden.

Severity not that bad

But the disease severity from Omicron infection noticed so far is not that bad, and even in hospitalised cases, is less in comparison to previous waves, Ranjan said in an email to BusinessLine .

“So, we can expect a lesser fatality rate even as Omicron spreads and infect large numbers but co-morbid people need be extra careful as severe complications could arise.”

Omicron has 32 mutations in spike protein and many of them are also present in existing various variants of concern-- Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta. But there are many which have been rare and never seen before, says Dr Ranjan. Multiple new mutations very different from existing strains suggest that the virus may have evolved from someone whose immunity has been easily evaded by the virus.

“In this light, it has become very important to track the evolution of emerging variants by enhancing sequencing and also classify samples based on exact condition of the person from whom the samples are collected.”

Status of medical condition

They must be classified as vaccinated, unvaccinated, severely immune-compromised or other status of medical condition, viral-infection and vaccination. This will help in understanding the nature and conditions supporting the positive and better functional mutations in the virus.

Delta still poses challenge

Omicron has posed a new challenge before the world but existing Delta variant is still a matter of concern as recently evidenced in the deadly waves in Germany, Russia and the UK.

The danger of Delta causing serious infections is still alive since, with declining natural and vaccine-induced immunity, it can infect a large proportion of people.

Also read: Contact of Omicron case in Rajasthan tests Covid positive in Delhi

In India the challenge is dual. One, is to prevent the spread of Omicron as it is highly transmissible and, two, deal with potential threat from Delta since the declining immunity in next 1-2 months may allow it to trigger another spike in infection and hospitalisation rates.

Study on Pfizer vaccine impact

A recent study to understand the effect of antibodies produced by Pfizer vaccine on neutralisation of Omicron variants from South Africa suggest a 41-fold decline in neutralisation post-vaccination.

But the decline was found to be less in persons who were previously infected and vaccinated suggesting immunity developed post-natural infection could provide better protection.

In India, during the second wave, a huge number was infected as revealed by sero-prevalence studies. The natural immunity developed in combination with vaccination may provide better protection.

Lessons from second wave

Lessons need to be learnt from the devastating second wave and people should take guard against the spread of the virus and strictly follow Covid-appropriate behaviour by adhering to social distancing, keeping the surrounding well-ventilated, and taking care not to gather in large numbers.

“The greatest and life-saving lesson is that under no circumstances should people go for self-medication or any wrong medications based on speculation. During the initial days of Coronavirus infection, our own immunity can effectively fight against the virus and lead to recovery.”

In case of any complications post-infection, treatment should be done under strict medical guidance only. Considering the potential and dual threats both from Omicron and Delta variants, the government should also strictly enforce Covid-appropriate behaviour and regulate gatherings.

Healthcare facilities should be enhanced and availability of all essential and life-saving drugs and instruments ensured at all levels of the healthcare system.

Availability of better and required healthcare facilities at the block and district levels will prevent the tertiary healthcare facilities from being overwhelmed and protect interests of non-Covid critical patients.