Ômicron obliterated Delta cases in countries where it arose, says virologist

Authorities around the world are concerned about the emergence of the Ômicron variant of the coronavirus due to two main reasons, according to the president of the Brazilian Society of Virology, Flávio Fonseca.

In an interview with CNN Radio this Monday (29), the virologist listed that the strain had “major mutations” and assessed that the other fact that “shocked and frightened authorities” is the “quickness with which it replaced Delta.”

He points out that Delta already had greater potential for proliferation, but even so, Ômicron “obliterated Delta cases in the countries where it emerged.”

This combination demonstrates that the new variant has increased potential for dissemination, but “it is not yet known regarding lethality” or even if it escapes the protection of vaccines. The situation is “fasten your seatbelts and wait”, for him.

Fonseca also assessed the situation in Brazil in relation to Ômicron: “A variant with potential of this size will arrive and we hope that impacts are similar to those of Delta and minimized.”

“It’s important to speed up vaccination even more, not just when it arrives and avoid giving the virus a chance to proliferate, wearing masks, keeping a distance, all of this has to be alert”, he added.

Lesser lethality trend

Flávio Fonseca explained that, although viruses are “masters of mutation”, those that “kill hosts often die together.”

This means that as they evolve, the potential for mortality is diminished. “But this takes time, the coronavirus is learning to live with us, the tendency is for the virus to become less lethal.”

“Today, with almost two years of the pandemic, it is still quite lethal”, he added.

With production by Bel Garcia