Omicron turning out to be milder, yet sends shivers up world's spine

As India watches with trepidation the increasing cases of the latest Coronavirus variant, Omicron, a sliver of hope is emerging that this is milder than the earlier Delta variant that caused havoc in early 2021.

The caveat to this hope is all-round caution from the scientific community and governments which don’t want to take Omicron for granted and let down the guard.

None wants to jump the gun and declare it milder than previous variants as similar pronouncements prior to the Delta spread earlier this year led to widespread grief among the COVID-affected, embarrassment for governments and confounded epidemiologists.

But the latest news from South Africa backs optimists on the mild nature of Omicron. The country’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), in a study, has found that hospitalisation was negligible in those infected by Omicron compared to the previous Delta variant.

Reports quoting the NICD official Cheryl Cohen said the “Omicron is behaving in a way that is less severe.” He said data suggests “a positive story of a reduced severity of Omicron compared to other variants.”

Also read: Omicron threat: PM holds review meet; Centre frames 5-fold strategy

The World Health Organisation (WHO) however is taking no chances. Taking a holistic view which would include the still-dominant Delta variant, the WHO is recommending continued steps to stymie infections. According to it, last week, Europe and Central Asia saw 27,000 additional COVID-19 deaths and 2.6 million new cases.

Infections, still predominantly from the Delta variant, are 40 per cent higher now than during the same period last year, the WHO stated.

In a statement, indicating that the COVID-19 threat is still very much present, the WHO said, “We can see another storm coming – Omicron is becoming, or already has become, dominant in several countries, including in Denmark, Portugal and the United Kingdom, where its numbers are doubling every one and a half to three days, generating previously unseen transmission rates.”

Though Omicron has come across as milder than the Delta variant, what is worrying WHO and governments is the fact that it is spreading fast and before long is expected to oust Delta from its number one spot. When that happens, health authorities fear the pressure on hospitals will again surmount and could end badly for many.

In the United States, for instance, in one week Omicron cases have spiked from three to 73 per cent of COVID cases detected during the period.  According to the US-based Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Omicron accounted for 96 per cent of all COVID cases in Washington state while New York and New Jersey saw 92 per cent Omicron.

It is this remarkable jump in Omicron that has caused governments around the world, including India, to contemplate shutdowns and restrictions on various activities especially those seen as most susceptible to COVID infections. Cough, sore throat and fever are being seen in Omicron patients with 89 percent of those affected exhibiting these symptoms, said the WHO.

Notably, there have been no reports of breathlessness and lack of oxygen among the affected – two factors that stretched the healthcare system to its maximum with countries like India simply unable to cope earlier this year. The Delta variant that triggered these fatal symptoms, meanwhile, is now being seen in fewer patients in the US with one report stating they accounted for 27 per cent – conceding the dominant position to Omicron.

The Omicron is not sparing those vaccinated, but reports point out that in the vaccinated the variant is coming across as mild and, in many cases, even asymptomatic. Contrary to initial worries that vaccination was proving to be useless, health authorities are now insisting on vaccination and have exhorted the hesitant to go for it to prevent excessive outcomes including hospitalisation.

On November 26, Omicron was first detected in South Africa and Botswana before quickly emerging as a variant of concern in other African countries and in Europe. Less than a month later, it has spread to the United States. In the case of India, though in absolute terms the numbers are still small compared to Europe, Africa and the US it is expected to spiral in the coming weeks.

In Europe, COVID has again triggered tremors with cases rising sharply. In France, daily cases are expected to cross 100,000 shortly.  Spain recorded 49,823 new daily infections, on Tuesday – the previous record was 44,357, reported in January.

Also read: Omicron: After Bengaluru, Delhi bans Christmas, New Year gatherings

Several countries have already announced various restrictions to curb COVID cases, most of which are suspected to be Omicron. After Christmas, Germany has announced curbs on private gatherings (maximum people in a gathering at 10) and in nightclubs. Football matches will again be played behind closed doors. Similar restrictions have already been announced in Portugal and Finland.

What makes the Omicron so fearsome on paper is the discovery that the variant carries about 50 mutations not seen in combination before, including more than 30 mutations in the gene for the spike protein that the Coronavirus uses to attach to human cells, says a report in the New York Times.

The next few weeks will again pitch the might of the world’s medical prowess and determination against the indomitable virus that refuses to come under control or better still, go away.