What do we know about the Omicron variant?
For a few weeks it has been circulating around the world. How to identify it? What are its symptoms and how to prevent contagion?
The COVID-19 pandemic is still with us and the numbers of those infected continue to rise. In this last week, 19.801.230 new infections were registered worldwide, 16% more than seven days ago. The WHO warned that in a few weeks half of Europe will be infected with the Omicron variant and encouraged citizens to do everything possible to avoid infection.
How did this new variant originate?
Ómicron was detected for the first time in South Africa on November 24, 2021. It is a variant that has more than 50 mutations and 36 of them in the Spike (S) protein on the surface, which is the part of the virus that binds receptors on human cells to enter them and cause infection. These mutations give the virus greater efficiency when it comes to entering our cells, which has caused a substantial increase in the number of global cases in the last month. The Omicron variant presents contagiousness levels similar to measles, even among vaccinated people, where one person can infect 10 others.
"The Wuhan strain had a transmissibility index of between 2.5 and 3 points, this rose to 6 with the Delta variant and now, with the Omicron variant, we are at 10 points" declares Marcos López, president of the Spanish Society of Immunology and head of the Immunology Service of the Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital (Santander) for Medical Writing.
Cumulative cases over time. Where cases of COVID-19 have been reported around the world
How affects?
This variant replicates more in upper respiratory tract, that is, in the nostrils and in the pharynx, which increases the ability to infect. The concentration of Omicron in the lower airways it is much smaller compared to the original variant or the Delta, so the involvement at the pulmonary level is less and, therefore, it is usually a less serious disease.
It is a strain with a shorter incubation period, between 2-3 days compared to the 4-6 that the other variants took, but the symptoms are similar:
- Itchy and sore throat
- Muscle pain
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Fever
- Cough, being more predominant the dry cough (those that do not produce expectoration)
In this case, practically no cases of loss of smell or taste have been observed.
How does our body protect itself against infection?
Our immune system is responsible for defending our body from different pathogens, including viruses such as the coronavirus. Two types of cells circulate in our blood: T lymphocytes and the B, which allow us to adapt to the pathogen that invades us.
The B lymphocytes allow us to attack the pathogen, when it is outside our cells, producing antibodies that recognize its surface. Being this the humoral immunity.
But pathogens can mask its surface or modify it to allow passage into our cells. When this happens, cellular immunity comes into play, in which the T lymphocytes recognize the antigen inside and release a series of substances that end up destroying the infected cell and giving the alert signal to other infected cells to facilitate their elimination.
Over time, the antibodies generated during an infection end up disappearing, but a part of the T and B lymphocytes survive, giving rise to cellular immune memory. Thanks to this cellular immunity Proteins of the pathogen that cannot mutate as easily as the antigens on its surface can be recognized, so if the pathogen re-enters, the lymphocytes generate a rapid response to it.
Why is it important to get vaccinated?
With the Vaccines this response is induced against an infectious agent by the artificial administration of said modified agent or one of its parts. If at any time the vaccinated person is infected, thanks to immunological memory, their immune system repels the attack without disease or with milder symptoms. having the full guideline With COVID, if we become infected, B lymphocytes will produce antibodies to block the virus and T lymphocytes will attack infected cells.
At six months, the effectiveness of complete vaccination (two doses) against COVID-19 decreases markedly. Due to this, it is essential that older people and those with comorbidities, as occurs with respiratory patients, take a third dose.
How to protect ourselves against this new variant?
Vaccines are an essential part of the fight against coronavirus, but they are not the only solution. No measure is perfect for preventing the spread of the virus, but overlapping measures end up compensating for individual shortcomings and significantly reducing risk.
- The use of masks. Let us remember that the virus is transmitted by aerosols generated by speaking, coughing, sneezing, so we could say that it moves like tobacco smoke.
Imagine what happens if you are in a closed place with poor ventilation, with many people and several of them smoking. In a short time the whole room is filled with smoke and you end up breathing it. If we change this smoke for a virus, it makes closed, poorly ventilated places with a high concentration of people and without masks the best place to get infected. Therefore, the masks They are essential indoors and outdoors whenever the safety distance cannot be kept. How does tobacco smoke from a person who is smoking near you on the street also reach you? Well, that's why it's necessary.
- Keep distance Security is also essential, the closer we are to an infected person, the easier it will be to get infected.
- We have to remember that when we cough or sneeze let's cover our mouths with the bend of the elbow or a disposable handkerchief and immediately wash our hands when doing so.
- El hand washing It is still important because the virus remains for a long time on the surfaces of objects and if we touch them and put our hands to our faces, we can become infected.
- Carrying out tests such as antigens They allow us to detect people in their most contagious phase. If you test negative, it does not mean that you are not infected, but that there is not enough viral load to infect. In the event that the result is positive, it is recommended to isolate yourself and stay at home, in addition to notifying the health entities.
Chronic respiratory patients and Omicron
There appears to be no evidence that the omicron variant affects chronic respiratory patients more than the general population. The risk of infection is similar, but due to its high transmission capacity, it is necessary to remain alert and carry out the same prevention measures that were being carried out until now, being essential to get vaccinated with the third dose to strengthen our body's defenses.
For any questions or queries you can contact us by writing to Cuentanos@lovexair.com
Content reviewer: Enrique Mascarós Balaguer. Family and Community Doctor. Auxiliary Office Architect Tolsá (Valencia)
References:
https://uscopdcoalition.org/covid-19/
https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-59871637
https://covid19andwork.org/es/index
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/variants/omicron-variant.html
https://elpais.com/especiales/coronavirus-covid-19/el-mapa-del-coronavirus-en-el-mundo/
https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html
https://www.rtve.es/noticias/20220107/mapa-mundial-del-coronavirus/1998143.shtml
https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-59719199
https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-59960969
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