The new strain of Coronavirus disease called Omicron has emerged due to the mutation in the genetic structure of the virus. The technical name of Omicron is B.1.1.529 which is frequently used by medical professionals. The new strain of Covid-19 has been named after the Greek letter. It’s the 13th variant of the coronavirus which has got a Greek origin name as per the classification system of World Health Organisation, WHO. The organisation is using Greek letters to name major variants of COVID-19 such as Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Lambda, and Mu.
Origin of Omicron Strain
There has been a matter of discussion over the fear of Omicron being more contagious and severe than any other strain of coronavirus disease. The newly developed strain was reported for the first time in November 2021 in South Africa after which the WHO tagged it as a ‘variant of concern,’ on 26th November 2021. This tag is given to the variants which have a higher risk to public health like the Delta variant. Many countries such as the United States have sealed their international borders to stop the further spread of Omicron strain.
Symptoms of Omicron Strain
- Mild Fever
- Cough, Throat Pain
- Overtired or Feeling Low in Energy
- Headache
- Night Sweats
As the study continues on understanding the effectiveness of current vaccines over Omicron strain, the World Health Organisation has informed the people that vaccines are still effective for major COVID-19 variants including the Delta variant. Over the concern of its high transmission rate, the WHO has said that the scenario is not yet clear on whether the Omicron variant is more contagious than any other variant or not. To stop the outbreak of Omicron strain, it becomes important to emphasize more on the safety measures like wearing masks, using hand sanitisers, maintaing at least 1 metre distance in public place, etc.
