As a result, both replication and transmissibility are increased. Mutations are also found in another part of the spike protein that make it more difficult for antibodies to recognize.
By
AHMAD ARIF
·4 minutes read
KOMPAS
Covid-19 cases in Indonesia have continued to increase in recent times. The Ministry of Health said this increase was triggered by the Omicron variant.
After the deadly Delta-fueled wave subsided, the highly contagious Omicron variant of the coronavirus emerged, turning the tide of the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, the more infectious Omicron subvariant BA.2 is spreading and has alerted us to how the virus constantly mutates to adapt to our environment. Although the virus has been mutating since its emergence, the first detection of Omicron in late November 2021 in South Africa was surprising. Omicron had nearly 50 mutations, 36 of which occurred in spike proteins, compared to the 10 mutations found in the Alpha variant, 12 in Gamma and 9 in Delta.
In the spike protein, Omicron has a different a part connected to the ACE2 receptor on human cells so that it can infect cells more efficiently. As a result, both replication and transmissibility are increased. Mutations are also found in another part of the spike protein that make it more difficult for antibodies to recognize. This will allow reinfection and even infect those already vaccinated. These spike protein changes also render antibody treatments less effective.
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An overview of the replication and pathogenicity of Omicron in the host (i.e., the human body) was published in the journal Nature on 21 Jan., 2022, by Huiping Shuai and his team from the University of Hong Kong. The team found that Omicron replicated 70 times faster than Delta in the bronchi, or the passages leading to the lungs, after 24 hours.
On the other hand, lower replication in the lungs causes less severe disease than Delta.
However, Omicron replicates at a lower rate deeper in the lungs. Higher replication in the upper airways makes viral particles easier to inhale and thus more easily spread. On the other hand, lower replication in the lungs causes less severe disease than Delta.
Epidemiological data from various countries have corroborated the characteristics of Omicron. For one, a report in the British Medical Journal from 16 Dec., 2021, found that adults infected with Omicron in South Africa were 29 percent less likely to be hospitalized. A research paper from the United Kingdom’s Health Safety Administration on 31 Dec., 2021, found that the emergency room occupancy rate due to Omicron was only one third that of Delta.
A Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine report also showed that by early January 2022, less than half of United States adults infected with Omicron required an emergency room. Recently, the US reported a new record high number of daily Covid-19 deaths, with 3,954 deaths on 26 Jan., 2022, almost reaching the previous peak from January 2021.
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The surge in Covid-19 cases due to the Omicron variant has put the health care system in a number of countries under pressure, especially in countries with low Covid-19 vaccination rates.
Globally, Covid-19 cases and death rates are also climbing. Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) from Tuesday (8/2/2022), found that of the 130 million Covid-19 cases since Omicron was first declared a variant of concern at the end of November 2021, there had been 500,000 deaths.
According to WHO technical head for Covid-19 Maria Van Kerkhove, the actual number of cases and deaths due to Covid-19 may be higher than what has been reported. “This [Omicron spike] makes the previous peak look like almost nothing,” she said.
The dangers of Omicron
Indonesian biostatistics researcher at the University of South Australia, Beben Benjamin, said the level of danger Omicron posed was lower on an individual scale but higher on an aggregate scale.
In Indonesia, the assumption that Omicron is harmless has been woven from the narrative that most of the population already has antibodies due to previous infection and vaccination. According to the Health Ministry, 86.6 percent of the population has SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, according to a series of surveys in 100 districts/cities from November to December 2021.
Iwan Ariawan, an epidemiologist from the University of Indonesia’s Faculty of Public Health, said the increase in Covid-19 cases during the Omicron wave in Indonesia would not be followed by a spike in deaths. A number of public officials have said the same.
FRANSISCA ROMANA NINIK WERDININGSIH
A staff member (C) wearing protective equipment guides a traveller at the arrival hall of Incheon International Airport on November 30, 2021, amid growing concerns about the Omicron Covid-19 variant.
Henry Surendra, an immune epidemiology researcher who graduated from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, warned that Omicron could be fatal for those with comorbidities, the elderly and the unvaccinated.
