Recent studies on Covid-19 have revealed that the Omicron variant multiplies faster in airways, slower in the lungs of infected persons.
According to a news release issued by Hong Kong University, a summary of the study showed that, compared to the earlier Delta variant, Omicron multiplies itself 70 times more quickly in tissues that line airway passages, which may facilitate person-to-person spread.
However, the researchers said that in lung tissues, Omicron replicates 10 times more slowly than the original version of the coronavirus, which might contribute to less-severe illness, adding that the research warrants further study to corroborate the findings and that has yet to be certified by peer review.
Major differences in how efficiently Omicron and other variants of the coronavirus multiply, they said, may help predict Omicrons effects.
A formal report of the findings is under peer review for publication and has not been released by the research team.
In the news release issued by Hong Kong University study leader, Dr. Michael Chan Chi-wai said, It is important to note that the severity of disease in humans is not determined only by virus replication, but also by each persons immune response to the infection, which sometimes evolves into life-threatening inflammation”.
Chan added, By infecting many more people, a very infectious virus may cause more severe disease and death even though the virus itself may be less pathogenic. Therefore, taken together with our recent studies which showed that the Omicron variant can partially escape immunity from vaccines and past infection, the overall threat from the Omicron variant is likely to be very significant.
Omicron grips cells more tightly and withstands some anti-bodies, the study further stated.
