[Q&A] How is Omicron Different from Delta Variant?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] The number of domestic Omicron variant infections has increased to a total of 12 as of the 5th. Globally, the Omicron fear is growing as it has been confirmed in over 40 countries. We have summarized the questions related to the Omicron variant.

- When did Omicron emerge?

▲ In South Africa, it has been suggested that the Omicron variant may have evolved before the Alpha and Beta variants appeared. The initial form of the virus is believed to have undergone repeated evolution over several months.

Professor Wolfgang Preiser, one of the co-discoverers of the Omicron variant, stated in an interview with Germany's dpa news agency on the 4th (local time), "The Omicron variant may have been dormant for a long time, so the question is why it was discovered now, and whether other variants are also hiding and spreading rapidly."

- How fast is its transmissibility?

▲ Analyses are emerging that the Omicron variant has more than twice the transmissibility of the Delta variant. The New York Times reported that mathematical analysis by researchers shows the Rt (a measure of virus transmission speed) of Omicron is more than 2.5 times higher than that of the Delta variant. Professor Carl Pearson of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine also tweeted, "In South Africa, the Omicron variant is spreading twice as fast as the Delta variant."

It is also reported that the risk of reinfection is more than three times higher than with the Delta variant. A South African government-affiliated research institute analyzed epidemiological data from South Africa and stated, "There is epidemiological evidence that the Omicron variant has the ability to evade immunity formed by previous infections."

- Is the vaccine effective?

▲ So far, the immune evasion potential of the Omicron variant has not been clearly established. However, in South Africa, claims have emerged that breakthrough infections in fully vaccinated individuals tend to have relatively mild symptoms.

Dr. Mosese Poane, who has been treating COVID-19 patients near Pretoria, the administrative capital of South Africa, said in an interview with NHK on the 3rd, "Infected individuals who were vaccinated showed mild symptoms even when infected with the Omicron variant," adding, "It seems that vaccines are preventing severe illness from the Omicron variant as well."

- What is the biggest difference from existing COVID-19 symptoms?

▲ The typical COVID-19 symptom of loss of taste or smell may be absent. Dr. Angelique Coetzee, the South African doctor who first reported the Omicron variant, recently told Bloomberg News, "Infected patients did not lose their sense of smell or taste, nor did they have a runny nose."

Dr. Coetzee, who has previously stated that Omicron symptoms are generally mild, emphasized, "This does not mean you should not worry, but rather that you should not ignore mild symptoms and should seek medical care," adding, "The Omicron situation could become more serious in the next one to two weeks."

- Are the symptoms similar to Delta variant infections?

▲ It is reported that symptoms differ significantly between Delta variant and Omicron variant infections. According to Dr. Poane, Omicron-infected patients did not experience respiratory distress unlike those infected with the Delta variant. The main symptoms included headache, dizziness, loss of appetite, fatigue, and cough.