OMICRON (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Sci and Tech)

Context: A scientist recently stated that the new strain of coronavirus may peak in the next two months, akin to the previous Omicron wave, as the country closely monitors the spreading infection, which has already claimed six lives.

Omicron

• About: It is a variant of SARS-CoV-2 first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) by the Network for Genomics Surveillance in South Africa.
• First Detected: In Botswana and has spread to become the predominant variant in circulation around the world.
• Sub Variants: BA.1, BA.2, BA.3, BA.4, and BA.5
• Spike Protien: The spike protein of the new variant harbors an alarming 32 mutations, posing a greater concern than the Delta variant.
• The WHO currently lists 5 variants of concern:

oOmicron (B.1.1.529)

oDelta (B.1.617.2)

oGamma (P.1)

oBeta (B.1.351)

oAlpha (B.1.1.7)