“I don’t think this variant is more disgusting,” says Van Gucht. “That would surprise me to be honest. The disease profile is similar across all variants of omikron, so I expect it to be the same here.”
“The variant could be more contagious,” continues Van Gucht. “But you always have to see infectivity as a relative thing. It has an advantage over the other variants that puts it over the other variants. It is more able to compete with the other variants of the older generation. The new kid on the block.”
“He’s fresh, he still has a lot of energy and that’s why he can take the place of others very quickly. You can call it contagious, but it’s actually a growth advantage. It’s not that he suddenly spreads much better in the air, or that instead of 10 people will infect 15 people.”
