Will Omicron fade Delta strain?

The highly transmissible variant of Covid-19, Omicron might help the world get rid of the Delta strain.

Omicron, which has been detected in more than 100 countries so far, was first detected in South Africa in late November. Now it has become dominant in several countries including the US and the UK.

Apparently, Omicron is known to cause only mild infection, while Delta was more lethal which led to increased hospitalisation, drop in oxygen levels, pneumonia, and death during the 2nd wave.

Talking about the same Dr. Vasant Nagvekar who is a Covid task force member of Maharashtra government and a consultant on Infectious Diseases at Global Hospital said,

"Omicron is a milder wave and will replace Delta, and maybe good for the world. Omicron is more transmissible, and it could also be immune-evasive but so far, there is no proof that it produces more severe infections."

Meanwhile, with more than 30 mutations on its spike protein, Omicron has the potential of evading vaccines as well as previous Covid infection-induced immunity.

Several studies have shown that two doses of existing Covid vaccines may not be effective against Omicron, while booster doses have shown promise.

While Covid as a whole has been mild for children, Omicron has raised concern with many kids being affected and hospitalised in the US, South Africa and the UK.

India has also announced the rollout of booster doses, starting with healthcare workers from January next year and will also start vaccinating children aged 15-18 from 2022.