What is the difference between the way the Omicron strain attacks the respiratory system and the way Delta and other strains of coronavirus attack it?
To how many people can a sneezing of an infected person with the Omicron strain transmit infection?
The answers and more are in this comprehensive report.
What is the difference between omicron attack, delta attack and other strains of corona virus on the respiratory system?
According to multiple studies and research data, it appears that Omicron generally affects the upper respiratory tract, which includes the nose, sinuses, and larynx, while it has a lesser ability to infect the lower respiratory tract, which includes the trachea and lungs.
On the other hand, the Delta strain and other strains of the emerging corona virus - whose scientific name is "Sars Cov 2" - have the ability to infect both the upper and lower respiratory tracts, according to scientific reports and research carried by "The Guardian" and The New York Times and Medical News Today.
And on Friday, a study conducted in South Africa revealed that people with the Omicron mutant who did not receive any vaccine may be less likely to develop serious symptoms, hospitalization or death, compared to the case with previous strains of the Corona virus, according to Reuters.
The study, which was conducted by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in the Western Cape and has not yet been peer-reviewed, compared about 11,600 patients from the first three waves of the pandemic with about 5,100 infected with Omicron.
Omicron causes less severe symptoms and fewer deaths from infection globally compared to previous strains.
Scientists are trying to find out whether the reason for this is the high rates of immunity resulting from vaccination, previous infection with the virus, or as a result of the weakness of the new mutant.
The study concluded that the reduced risk of severe symptoms was attributed to the characteristics of the omicron itself.
upper respiratory symptoms
Mild symptoms or early infection of COVID-19 in the upper respiratory tract may include symptoms such as a runny nose and sore throat.
Cases of severe illness caused by COVID-19 from previous strains often involve infection and inflammation of the lungs.
Inflammation can cause fluid to build up in the alveoli of the lungs, reducing the ability of the lungs to transfer oxygen to the blood.
According to the current data, it appears that the Omicron strain is more likely to infect the throat than the lungs, which scientists believe may explain why it is more contagious, but is less lethal than other strains of the virus.
And 6 studies - according to a report in the Guardian - found that Omicron does not harm the lungs as much as it harms Delta and other previous variants of Covid-19.
The studies have not yet been reviewed by other scientists.
"The result of all the mutations that make Omicron different from previous variants is that it may have changed its ability to infect different types of cells," said Dinan Pillay, professor of virology at University College London.
"In essence, it appears to be more able to infect the upper respiratory tract cells in the throat. So it will multiply in cells there more easily than cells deep in the lung."
If the virus replicates more in the throat, that makes it more transmissible, which may help explain the rapid spread of omicrons.
On the other hand, a virus that has a greater ability to infect lung tissue is likely to be more dangerous, but less transmissible, like previous strains of corona.
Researchers from the University of Liverpool's Molecular Virology Research Group published a study showing that Omicron leads to "less serious disease" in mice, according to Professor James Stewart.
The paper showed mice infected with Omicron lost less weight, had lower viral loads and suffered from less severe pneumonia, according to the Guardian.
"The animal model indicates that the disease is less severe than Delta and the original Wuhan virus," Stewart said. "It appears that they cleared (of the virus) ... faster and the animals recovered more quickly, and this correlates with the clinical data received."
"Early indications are that it's good news, but this is not a signal to let our guard down, because if you are clinically compromised, the consequences are still unpleasant, there are Omicron deaths. Nobody can take off their masks and celebrate," Stewart added.
A study conducted by the University of Hong Kong last December showed a decrease in Omicron infection in the lungs.
Research led by Professor Ravi Gupta at the University of Cambridge also showed that Omicron is able to evade vaccines, but is less able to enter lung cells.
Too early to celebrate
However, it is too early to celebrate, as officials from the World Health Organization had stated - on the seventh of this January - that the Omicron strain, the fastest transmission and the most severe infection, appears to cause less serious disease symptoms than the Delta mutant, but they added that it should not be classified Omicron infection as 'mild'.
Janet Diaz, head of clinical health care at the World Health Organization, said that recent studies reveal that the odds of hospitalization with the Omicron mutant are lower compared to the Delta mutant.
And she added in a press briefing from the headquarters of the World Health Organization in Geneva that it also appears that the odds of developing severe symptoms are low in both young people and men who are older than this stage.
The statements about the low severity of the disease are in line with other data, including studies in South Africa and England.
Diaz did not provide any details about the studies or the ages of the cases studied.
"While the Omicron mutant appears to be less dangerous compared to Delta, especially among those who have received the vaccination, this does not mean that it is classified as a mild case," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the same press briefing in Geneva.
"Omicron, like previous versions, leads to transport to hospitals and kills people," he added.
Do not consider Omicron to be a mild disease
The Russian doctor, Natalia Pechenechnaya, said that infection with the Omicron strain should not be considered a non-risk and easy-to-transmit disease, as the experience of other countries shows that the overall death rate because of it is high, according to what was reported by Russia Today, the day before Friday.
"Omicron should not be considered a mild disease," added Pechenechnaya, who is deputy director of the Epidemiological Research Institute at the Federal Consumer Protection Agency (Ross Putrebnadzor). And several countries in Eastern Europe, because of the very high infection rate.”
The doctor stressed that the procedures for confronting the spread of "Omicron" remain the same as when dealing with other strains of the Corona virus;
Limit contact between people, wear a mask properly, disinfect hands and surfaces, ventilate buildings and vaccinate with an anti-virus vaccine.
Omicron sneezing .. To how many people transmit the infection?
Immunologist Vladimir Polybuk said that a mutated carrier "Omicron" for the Corona virus can transmit infection to about 100 people when sneezing once, according to what Russia Today reported from the agency "Novosti" last Thursday.
"Until now, we have not had this kind of infection. Measles was considered the most infectious disease, but Omicron surpassed it even in this regard," Pollibuk added - in a television interview.
He pointed out that this mutated virus spreads very effectively through the air through respiratory secretions, such as coughing from one person to another.
"I think that even during normal speech, breathing and yawning, a mist containing particles of saliva and mucus can be released, with enough virus in it to infect another person. If a person coughs or sneezes alone, this amount is enough to transmit the infection to 100 others."
The doctor stressed that "Omicron" is especially dangerous for children.