As much as the delta variant spread in 100 days, omicron spread in just 15 days

The initial reports of Corona’s new variant Omicron (B.1.1.529) are very shocking. WHO has described it as a variant of concern. The. 90% of the daily cases found in 3 provinces of Africa are of this variant, which was only 1% 15 days ago. This is what scares scientists the most. Because, by far the fastest spreading variant was the delta, causing the third wave in the world.

Now there is a risk of a new wave from Omicron, as it is spreading 7 times faster than Delta. Not only this, it is also getting mutated fast. It has already had 32 mutations before it was caught. In view of this, all 27 countries of the European Union have banned flights from 7 African countries. Here, no case of the new variant has been found in India. Nevertheless, travelers coming from 12 countries including Singapore, Mauritius will be thoroughly screened.

The situation of corona in India is under control
On Thursday, 10,549 new infections were found in the country, which is 15.6% more than the day before. There were 488 deaths. Of these, 384 occurred in Kerala. The active patients in the country are 1,10,133, which is 0.32% of the total patients and is the lowest in 539 days. Less than 20 thousand new cases are being received in the country continuously for 49 days.

6 important questions and answers related to the new variant

1. When was the variant first found?
Found in Botswana on 11 November. After that found in Hong Kong, Israel, Belgium.

2. At what speed is it spreading now?
very fast. University College London Prof. According to Deenan Pillai, genome sequencing of only a few samples has been done. Therefore, its actual speed may be higher.

3.Why are experts worried?
Viruses use spike proteins to enter human cells. The vaccine prepares the body to recognize these spikes and neutralize them. The spike protein of the B.1.1529 variant has 32 variants. This worries scientists, as the mutation escapes the body’s immune system and causes the next wave.

4. What is the risk of the new variant?
There is very little information about it right now. It can reach through foreign travelers.

5. When will the correct information about its danger be known?
It takes a week for scientists to understand the nature of the virus. It may take several weeks for good data on the immune response to the virus.

6. Can it be stopped earlier?
There is no evidence yet that B.1.1529 spread in the same way as Delta spread. This can also be limited by taking timely steps and vaccination.