Omicron Variant (B.1.1.529) of SARS-CoV-2, A Worldwide Public Health Emergency!



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Submitted Dec 12, 2021
Published Jan 7, 2022
10.24018/clinicmed.2022.3.1.159

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B.1.1.529 is the newest form of SARS- CoV-2. It was initially reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) on November 24, 2021, by South Africa. WHO recognized it as a variant of concern on November 26, 2021, and named it "Omicron.” The Omicron variant features an exceptionally large number of mutations, many of which are unique, and a substantial number of which impair the spike protein targeted by most COVID-19 vaccines at the time of its discovery. Despite initial studies showing that the variant caused less serious disease than prior strains, this amount of miscellany has raised worries about its transmissibility, immune system evasion, and vaccine resistance. Omicron is suspected to be much more infectious than previous variants of concerns, spreading around 70 times faster in the bronchi, but it is less able to penetrate deep lung tissue, which may explain why there is a significant reduction in the risk of severe disease requiring hospitalization. Nonetheless, because of the virus's fast rate of transmission and capacity to resist both two-dose vaccination and the immune system, the overall number of patients requiring medical care at present remains a major worry. In this article, the current state of the art for Omicron variant has been discussed to provide a strong framework for future research. The evolution, mutation, epidemiology, infectivity, vaccine breakthrough, and antibody resistance of the Omicron variant are investigated and discussed.

Keywords: COVID-19, epidemiology, mutation, omicron, SARS-CoV-2, vaccine efficacy

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