Studies of the new Omicron coronavirus strain have shown that it multiplies in the bronchi 70 times faster than the Delta variant.
In the lungs, its reproduction occurs 10 times slower. That is, the first fact explains the rapid spread of the omicron, reports The Guardian, the second explains the milder course of the disease.
The study, which was conducted by scientists from the University of Hong Kong, used samples of human lung tissue taken during operations. The official report on the results has not yet been published – it is under expert evaluation.
24 hours after infection, the omicron replicated in the bronchi about 70 times faster than the delta and parental SARS-CoV-2 strain. However, the opposite picture was observed directly in the lung tissue: the omicron replicated less efficiently (ten times lower) than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus, which may indicate a lesser severity of the disease.
Michael Chan Chivay, the head of the study, warns of caution in interpreting the results – each person is different, and his immune system has unique characteristics, so that not everything depends on the replication of the virus.
The scientist notes that a massive infection of people, as a result of the rapid spread of a new strain, can lead to both severe forms of the course of the disease and death.
As our publication reported, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has officially confirmed first death the patient from the Omicron strain. There are 4,713 cases of the Omicron variant officially reported in the UK, but the Minister of Health said the Health Safety Agency UKHSA has estimated the current number of daily infections at around 200,000. He said the number of Omicron cases in London exceeded 44%. It is expected to become the dominant option in the capital in the coming days.
According to yesterday’s information from EODY, Greece has already registered 17 cases of coronavirus with the Omicron mutation. There were only three of them last week. Of the newly discovered cases, 3 cases are considered imported into the country, the remaining 11 – “domestic”.
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