New Data Shows That Omicron Might Be Less Deadly As It Thrives in Airway Rather Than Lungs

These days, if we see the word “Omicron” in the headline of an article, foreboding music starts playing in our head and sweat starts pouring out of our pores at an alarming rate.

Omicron is more infectious… Omicron could mean more border restrictions… Omicron might make bubble tea less delicious…

Okay, so the last one was made up. 

But it’s not all been bad news. Some experts believe that the emergence of the Omicron COVID-19 variant could be a good thing as cases have mostly been mild or asymptomatic.

And now, we may have even more evidence to support this theory.

New Data Shows That Omicron Might Be Less Deadly As It Thrives in Airway Rather Than Lungs

A recent study has shown that the Omicron strain thrives in our airways rather than our lungs, meaning it could be less deadly.

The study, conducted at the University of Hong Kong, has yet to be peer-reviewed.

It found that compared to the Delta variant, the Omicron strain multiplies itself 70 times more quickly in tissues that line airway passages, which may facilitate person-to-person transmission.

More importantly, it was found to replicate in lung tissue 10 times more slowly than the original version of the coronavirus, which means it could cause less severe illness.

Study leader Dr Michael Chan Chi-wai noted, however, that the severity of disease in humans is not solely determined only by virus replication.

Each person’s immune response to the infection, which sometimes evolves into life-threatening inflammation, can also be a factor, he said.

Even if it is less likely to cause disease, Dr Chan said the Omicron variant still presents a “very significant threat”.

This is because the virus is much more transmissible and will infect many more people, consequently causing “more severe disease and death even though the virus itself may be less pathogenic.”

Boosters Needed

What’s more, Dr Chan noted that other studies at the university have shown that the variant can partially escape immunity from vaccines and past infection.

Another study showed that Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine has been less effective in South Africa at preventing hospitalisations since the Omicron variant emerged.

This is why the World Health Organisation (WHO) is urging people to get booster shots, to not only curb the spread of this highly infectious variant, but so people are better protected against severe disease and hospitalisation.

The variant, which emerged last month, has since spread to 77 counties. 16 confirmed cases have been reported in Singapore.

You can also watch this video to understand why this variant might just end the pandemic faster:

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