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Updated December 7th, 2021 at 13:08 IST

Omicron vs Delta: How are both variants different & which is more severe?

The situation is not clear whether the new variant is more lethal than earlier variants or whether the vaccine affects the Omicron variant or not? Check here

Reported by: Ajeet Kumar
Omicron
IMAGE: Unsplash | Image:self
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With the detection of the new COVID-19 virus in South Africa, the World Health Organisation (WHO) was quick to announce that "Omicron" is a matter of grave concern. The announcement prompted several countries to either restrict international travel or tighten their grip by formulating the popular "TTT" strategy-- Tracing, Testing and Treatment. Despite the regular updates from the global health agencies, the situation is not clear whether the new variant is more lethal than earlier variants or whether the vaccine affects the Omicron variant or not? How is it different from the deadly 'Delta' variant? To learn more about it, read till the end to know the difference between the "Delta variant" and the "Omicron variant".

What is the Omicron variant?

On 24 November 2021, the scientists of South Africa alerted the WHO about the detection of a new variant of the Coronavirus called the "B.1.1.529" variant in Botswana. Upon investigating, WHO designated the variant B.1.1.529 a 'variant of concern', named Omicron, on the advice of WHO’s Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution (TAG-VE).  However, the delta variant was first detected in India in December 2020. Subsequently, it spread globally including, the US and UK. 

Does Omicron infect more than Delta?

On the first day, the health agency denied any "lethal" behaviour of the virus but added the new variant is five to six times infectious than earlier variants, especially the delta variant. Citing the first four days of data, it said before the detection of the new variant, the cases in South Africa was around 200 to 210, however, the cases were up by 200%. Within four days of detection, the cases went from 200 to 2,400. Besides, the WHO scientists also noted that the gene sequencing of the new COVID variant exhibited that it had more mutations than the earlier variants. In Omicron, the scientists found 43 aa mutations in the spike proteins whereas, in the delta variant, it varies from 18 to 10. According to WHO, around 90% of the current Coronavirus cases is due to the delta variant.

Severity of disease

As of now, the World Health Organisation is not yet clear whether infection with Omicron causes more severe disease compared to infections with other variants, including Delta. The scientists said it need at least three to four more weeks to figure out the exact data of severity. Notably, despite the footprints of the Omicron variant having reached several countries including India, none of the countries has reported any death related to it. Whereas the delta variant which was detected in India around a year ago has had devastated several countries including India, the US, the UK, Russia, and Indonesia.

Effectiveness of vaccines

The scientists of WHO noted that the current vaccines remain critical to diminishing severe disease and mortality, including against the dominant circulating variant, Delta. As of now, scientists are assessing the effect of the vaccine on the Omicron variant. However, a number of people were affected by the new variant despite having inoculated both doses of the vaccine. 

Effectiveness of current tests

The widely used RT-PCR tests continue to detect infection, including infection with Omicron, as we have seen with other variants as well. Studies are ongoing to determine whether there is any impact on other types of tests, including rapid antigen detection tests.

Image: Unsplash

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Published December 7th, 2021 at 13:08 IST

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