The Omicron variant is currently 'raging' in the world and a number of countries. Researchers also focused on finding out about this latest variant of COVID-19.
Many have asked about the difference between Omicron and the COVID-19 variant. Let's discuss it for a moment before discussing the differences.
Sars-CoV-2 is the cause of COVID-19 which belongs to the Coronavirus family. Omicron is a variant of Sars-CoV-2 that was first reported to have been discovered in South Africa on November 24, 2020.
Before Omicron, there were other variants such as Alpha, Beta, Delta, to Lambda. Actually there were dozens of other variants found, but the World Health Organization (WHO or the World Health Organization) did not include them in the high priority category.
So, what is the difference between Omicron and other variants? There are four things that distinguish Omicron from other variants.
1. More contagious
Since it was first discovered, within one week cases in South Africa have increased two to three times. Omicron is even five times more infectious than the Delta variant.
COVID-19, the delta variant, transmits seven times faster than the virus that first appeared in Wuhan, while Omicron is five times faster than the Delta variant.
2. The severity is lower
Laura said although Omicron spreads more quickly, its severity tends to be lower than other variants including Delta. However, early treatment is needed to prevent the severity from worsening.
3. Detection of Omicron by PCR-SGTF
If you want to find out if someone is infected with the Omicron variant of COVID-19, then you have to use the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test with S Gene Target Failure (SGTF).
4. Vaccine effectiveness
Omicron is in 2020, while vaccinations have been carried out in the same year by some countries. Some may ask, does this mean that the vaccine that was developed before Omicron is no longer effective?
The answer is that the vaccine given can still fight the Omicron variant. However, from the results of the investigation it was found that there was a decrease in the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine.
In the variant of the COVID-19 virus that first appeared in Wuhan, the COVID-19 vaccine has an effectiveness of up to 95%, but against this Omicron variant, the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine has decreased and is only 50%. Researchers are still continuing to investigate this matter.