Coronavirus has shown its many forms in the last two years. Many of its variants came and caused a lot of devastation. Crores of people were affected and many lost their lives.
Recently, a new variant of it, Omicron, has been found in South Africa. This has created a stir all over the world. Suddenly many countries have again banned foreign travel.
Below are 7 points you should know about the Omicron variant of coronavirus.
At present it is very difficult to say from which country this variant originated. However, it was first found in part of South Africa. The doctors and scientists there informed the World Health Organization. The World Health Organization has also described it as serious and has asked all countries to remain alert. Its cases are coming to light in our country also. When the World Health Organization got information about this, they studied and discussed it thoroughly. Finally, recently the World Health Organization has declared it a worrying form and named it Omicron. The organization has also raised a question on the effectiveness of the vaccine. There is an atmosphere of panic in the countries due to this. There is not enough data yet to tell how dangerous this variant is compared to Delta. A question also arises whether whatever vaccine is currently being administered to people in all countries, is effective on the Omicron variant or not. On this matter, the World Health Organization has clarified that it has not yet been ascertained how effective the current vaccine is. However, a team of experts is continuously working in this direction. Hopefully this will also become clear soon. However, vaccine manufacturing companies have already started working in this direction. If we talk about its symptoms, then no specific symptoms are being seen at present. South Africa’s National Institute of Communicable Diseases has said that just as people infected with the Delta variant were not showing any symptoms, the same could happen with the Omicron variant as well. However, symptoms like weakness, dry throat etc. have been found in people there. WHO said that recent studies have found that they are capable of spreading more quickly than other variants. This means that even people who have recovered from the infection can become vulnerable to it. In this new form, the spike protein of the corona virus has changed the most, about 30 times, due to which there is a possibility of it spreading easily among people. Its first case came to light in South Africa. After that, patients infected with this variant have been found in different countries of the world including America, Italy, India, Australia, Germany, Israel, Hong Kong, Belgium, France, Austria, Czech Republic. Many countries have stopped international flights again. It is a matter of relief that infection with this variant can be detected by the existing RT PCR test. Scientists have discovered that Omicron is genetically different from previous forms, including the beta and delta forms, but do not know whether these genetic changes make it more contagious or deadly. So far, there are no signs that the form can cause more serious disease. It may take weeks to find out.
Therefore, as a citizen, it is our duty to follow the basic rules strictly as long as scientists are engaged in research. Use mask and sanitizer regularly and maintain a distance of 6 feet.
