The Omicron variant of the Corona virus looks very easy to dominate than other variants. This is due to the nature of the virus that is easy to evolve so that it can beat other slower variants of COVID-19.
Some experts believe that this Omicron variant has a maximum deployment capability than the previous variant. This possibility can be seen from how the Omicron variant binds to the ACE2 receptor more strongly in the human body.
ACE2 itself is a receptor on the surface of body cells that line the airways, where the virus attaches and begins to replicate.
Ben Krishna, a researcher in virology and immunology at the University of Cambridge, said the Omicron variant could easily replicate the genome, thus having the ability to spread the SARS-CoV-2 virus more quickly.
But the good news is, Omicron can’t reach maximum dispersal because mutations need to occur all over the place and the chances of that are very small.
“Even in scenarios where Omicron is the best variant in human-to-human spread, new variants will emerge to defeat the human immune system,” said Ben Krishna, quoted from SCMP, Wednesday (12/29/2021).
Once a person is infected with a virus, the immune system will adapt by making antibodies that attach to the virus to neutralize it and killer T cells will destroy the infected human cells.
The reason Omicron spreads faster
Antibodies are protein fragments that attach to the specific molecular shape of the virus and killer T cells will also recognize infected cells through the molecular shape. Therefore, SARS-CoV-2 can evade the immune system by mutating so that it cannot be recognized by the immune system.
This is the reason why Omicron can easily infect people even though they already have antibodies, either from vaccination or infection.
“Importantly today, exposure to past variants still seems to protect us from more serious illness and death. So that we don’t get sicker,” Ben wrote.
The possibility of Omicron in the future
Ben continued, even if COVID-19 continued to maximize its mutation by increasing its spreadability, it would not increase the risk of death. As is the case with Omicron today, although the spread is younger than the previous variant, the mortality rate is very low.
“Therefore, Omicron may not be the last variant but may be the last variant of concern,” wrote Ben.
“If we are lucky, even though the course of the pandemic is difficult to predict, SARS-CoV-2 is likely to become an endemic virus,” he added.
Watch Videos “What are the Symptoms of the Omicron Variant Covid-19 Virus?“
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