The alterations in the new variation suggest that it would likely evade vaccine protection to some extent, but that it will not cause more severe illness than prior coronavirus strains.
Scientists investigating the omicron variant are getting the first signs of what’s in store for the months ahead as fears of another global surge of Covid-19 cases send tremors through global markets, spark a fresh round of travel bans, and cause Americans to rethink their holiday plans.
The alterations in the new variation suggest that it would likely evade vaccine protection to some extent, but that it will not cause more severe illness than prior coronavirus strains.
These first assumptions appear to be in consistent with real-world observations from locations like South Africa, where infections have affected the vaccinated as well as the previously unwell, but have remained rather mild thus far. However, because the available data is so restricted, much of the existing evidence comes from computer modelling and comparing omicron’s physical structure to previous versions.
The spike, the crown-like protein on the surface of the virus that vaccines train our bodies to attack, has more than twice the number of mutations as the delta variant, with the majority of them found in the spike, the crown-like protein on the surface of the virus that vaccines train our bodies to attack.
The arrival of such a highly modified virus nearly two years into the pandemic surprised scientists since many had predicted that the ultra-contagious delta variety would be the final big wave, peaking and then dying out, similar to the 1918 influenza pandemic.
It will take weeks of thorough laboratory testing and research for scientists to figure out exactly what omicron’s mutations signify and how much more contagious it is, as well as the repercussions for individuals who become infected. However, scientists have already been able to make some educated estimates about what’s to come based on early observations.
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