“From the first epidemiological data the” South African “Omicron variant of Covid”it would indeed seem more contagious than the Delta. At the moment in the laboratories of South Africa, with which we are in constant contact, more than 500 sequences have already been made. Epidemiology tells us it is supplanting the Delta variant. Certain information, however, will come from molecular data, both in terms of contagiousness and in terms of the capacity of vaccines. to protect. And the analyzes are already underway. “He explains this to time.news Salute Massimo Ciccozzi, Head of the Medical Statistics and Epidemiology Unit of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of the Bio-Medico Campus of Rome, already activated on the study of the brand new variant.
According to data from South African laboratories “in the country, with the Omicron variant, there is an R0 of 1.34. This means that the epidemic is no longer under control. The phenomenon may be linked to the greater contagiousness of the new variant, but other elements must also be taken into account such as the very low percentage of vaccination coverage in the country, about 20%, and the scarce use of anti Covid measures, very far from our standards. It is certain, however, that, at the moment, in South Africa, Omicron runs faster than the Delta “.
In this variant, adds Ciccozzi, “there are all the mutations of the single variants seen so far. All together on the same Spike protein. And, at least on the epidemiological level, Omicron seems to be in a rush at the moment. “