Preliminary data shows that the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 might be more contagious but also may be less dangerous. There has been talk that we have to live with with viruses like the coronavirus. Perhaps, Omicron will walk the talk if it turns out to be milder than Delta and overtakes it in causing infections. This would also indicate that the pandemic is ending as it would be a less dangerous pathogen than many earlier variants.

USA Today reported that Dr. Warner Greene, director of the Center for HIV Cure Research at the Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco spoke on a call with reporters on Monday. He said that the virus came “with both barrels loaded—high infectivity and potentially the ability for immune invasion.” He added that it might lack “pathogenicity.”

Dr. Greene also said that there had not been an increase in deaths or even in the number of hospitalized people who required oxygen.

However, the number of cases in the Gauteng province of South Africa have been doubling every day. About 75 percent of the COVID-19 infections are due to the Omicron variant. There is also a week-over-week increase in the number of those who are admitted to hospitals.

Although it is still too early to draw conclusions, most of the reported cases of a Covid infection due to Omicron have been mild, so far. It will take several weeks and studies of Omicron infections across several countries in the world to get conclusive data about the variant. Vaccines will be effective but it will take time to note their efficacy rate in the real world.

The Omicron variant is the newest variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus which causes COVID-19. It was first discovered in southern Africa. It was named Omicron by the World Health Organization (WHO) and was also classified as a “variant of concern” by the WHO on November 26.

It has spread to several countries and has now been detected in more than 25 countries around the world. Some of the countries who have reported cases of Omicron include

The U.S.

The U.K.

Many parts of Europe

India

Sri Lanka

Japan

Malaysia

Singapore

South Korea