What we do know about the Omicron brand has launched alarms around the world

Appearance of a new type of coronavirus in southern Africa has caused a stir around the world due to unprecedented genetic changes.

The 50 mutants in a new version of B.1.1.529, called Omicron by the World Health Organization, include more than 30 mutations in the spike protein, the visible part of the virus that binds to human cells.

These mutations can make it more susceptible to transmission than the larger Delta species and may even protect the immune system provided by a vaccine or early infection.

Why is Omicron launching such an alarm?

Scientists are concerned about two main reasons. One is the epidemic and it is associated with the rate at which the differences seen this month are spreading in South Africa, particularly in the Gauteng province which includes the cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria.

Daily litigation has tripled in South Africa since Tuesday, with 2,828 cases filed on Friday. Preliminary test results showed that 90 per cent of new cases Wednesday in Gauteng started due to new differences.

Unusually, its mutations mean that it can be differentiated from Delta by other species with a common PCR test, without the need for genome sequencing.

Sharon Peacock, professor of public health and microbiology at Cambridge University, said the R value, which measures the magnitude of the epidemic, is expected at 1.93 in Gauteng, where Omicron is based. This is compared to 1.47 for the whole of South Africa.

Another cause for concern is his extraordinary instinct. Jeffrey Barrett, director of the Covid-19 Genomics Initiative at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, described Omicron as “an unprecedented model” of the evolution of four previous species: Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta. There are other unseen genetic mutations, the meaning of which is still unknown, he added.

Worryingly, says Jacob Glanville, a medical specialist and founder of California Therapeutics Centivax, 15 of these mutations are in the “receptor binding domain” – which acts as a “fighting mouse” for the Sars-Cov-2 virus to enter human cells. .

These changes help the virus to protect the immune system because they are trained by vaccines or previous infections to detect and treat Wuhan’s original problem. By comparison, the Delta type, which is home to almost all consecutive cases worldwide, disrupted vaccination with only three changes in the region.

How have they changed and are they so dangerous?

As Sars-Cov-2 does, copy errors sometimes alter 30,000 biochemical characters in their genes – usually at a rate of change twice a month.

Scientists believe that the radical change from Omicron and the Alpha variety that began last summer in England is the result of a long-term illness in an unidentified person whose immune system is damaged by illness or medical treatment – “exercise” as Peacock put it . it.

Slawomir Kubik, a geneticist at Geneva-based biotech Sophia Genetics, said most of Omicron’s mutations came “without blue” and had never been seen in other species.

As a result, scientists “seem to have little to do with how these new mutations affect the way the virus works,” he explained, adding that as soon as it became more widespread its “real strength” would become apparent.

Some of these mutations show an increase in prevalence, whereas genetic mutations make the immune system more vulnerable, trained by existing vaccines or previous vaccines and other types, to address a new problem. But it will take researchers several weeks or months to find a link between them and their quantity.

Although Omicron has confirmed that it is the most infectious Sars-Cov-2 brand to date, there is no evidence yet from South Africa or anywhere that it could cause serious symptoms. “It can go either way,” Glanville said. “These changes can make them more difficult or the changes can make them better.”

What are the possible solutions to this problem and how is the world in a better position to deal with this threat?

Many scientists have contributed to the temporary response to a ban on travel from countries where Omicron is rapidly spreading. “The purpose of the border closure and travel restrictions announced is to reduce global spread,” said Francois Balloux, director of the UCL Genetics Institute in London.

He added: “If B.1.1.529 was more contagious than Delta, this approach is unlikely to be successful over time but would allow time to increase immunization, including the third dose, and put the most reliable drugs available now. Pipeline.”

If Omicron spreads around the world and causes hospitalization to increase and die, then governments may need to reinstate access to services or increase existing bans – which in extreme cases could mean a return to closure.

However, scientists have emphasized many uncertainties around Omicron and many are more certain than they were when the first Alpha and Delta waves arrived.

The new species “is highly unlikely to survive vaccinated against vaccines and early infections,” Balloux said. “With so many vaccines and reliable drugs available, waves of B.1.1.529 should be less sensitive to weather than Alpha and Delta.”

What is also good is that, thanks to the efforts of South African scientists, countries have been warned of the dangers of Omicron more quickly than they were with the Delta, which had already spread from India before the world was warned.