Arushi Bidhuri
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Written By: Arushi Bidhuri | Updated : December 9, 2021 4:31 PM IST
The new COVID-19 variant, Omicron has once again forced many countries to shut their borders to control the surge. Although the newly detected variant of COVID has already spread to many parts of the globe, it might not be as dangerous. While the health authorities have asked to be cautious even though the new strain is not as severe.
Giving people some good news, Dr Anthony Fauci said that a complete picture of the new variant might take some time but it is clear that Omicron is "almost certainly" more severe than Delta. Talking to AFP, here is what Dr Fauci said about the differences between Omicron and Delta.
Delta COVID variant was one of the most dangerous and transmissible strains of coronavirus that was responsible for wreaking havoc around the globe throughout 2021 but Omicron is not believed to be as dangerous. Speaking of transmissibility, Dr Fauci said that the new variant is "clearly more transmissible," and it could be more transmissible than Delta.
The answer, according to Fauci, is yes. Epidemiological data from around the world, he said, is evidence. Dr Fauci stated that results from lab experiments testing the efficacy of antibodies from current vaccines against Omicron should be available in the next few days to a week.
While the concerns have made many believe that Omicron is a severe variant but Fauci said that the new variant is not more severe than Delta. "There is some suggestion that it might even be less severe because when you look at some of the cohorts that are being followed in South Africa, the ratio between the number of infections and the number of hospitalizations seems to be less than with Delta," said Dr Fauci.
The "best-case scenario" is a more transmissible virus that does not produce more severe sickness or a spike in hospitalizations and fatalities, while the "worst-case scenario" is if the highly transmissible variation also causes severe disease. According to Dr Fauci, the worst-case situation might happen, but you never know.
