There is no doubt that Omicron 2 has proved to be the “surprise” that characterised this last period of the Covid-19 era

Sister to the Omicron variant (or Omicron 1), Omicron 2 is definitely more contagious, even 30% more than the previous variant (which was already much more contagious than the other variants) and even more contagious than measles and chickenpox, the most easily spread diseases to date.

As the number of cases of infected people rises again, this continuous situation of ups and downs always forces us to revise our plans for the short term, but also for the near future.

The symptoms of Omicron 2

The data available to date show that the symptoms caused by this disease are fewer than those caused by the other variants in the past.

Although there has been an increase in the number of cases over the past 15 days, this has not been reflected in an increase in the number of hospitalisations and intensive care units, mainly due to the immunisation coverage that has been in place for more than a year.

Compared to past variants, Omicron is much less aggressive in its form, but this should not lead us to think that we should relax our guard.

How to treat and control Omicron 2

It is indeed right to prepare for the end of the state of emergency.

Equipping ourselves to live with the disease and making even greater use of specific antiviral drugs will help to reduce the overall number of clinical cases observed, perhaps even considering a possible vaccination, which is currently only envisaged as a fourth dose for the most fragile individuals.

Pending a decision by the EMA (European Medicines Agency) and AIFA (Italian Medicines Agency), I personally believe that we will move towards a recommended vaccination (such as that for influenza) with a vaccine that will hopefully be updated to include the new variants.

Omicron 2 and children

Why, then, is there talk of an increase in infections?

With the arrival of the first warmth of spring and the frequent changes in temperature from cold to hot, it is easy for the virus to spread more easily, not to mention that, as already mentioned, Omicron 2 is much more contagious.

Particular attention should be paid to children in the 5-11 age group who, at this stage, become ‘easy prey’ to the variant, as they have lower vaccination coverage than adults (only 30%).

These new variants are therefore more active and effective in infecting children than in the first phase when they were less exposed.

In addition, there is undoubtedly a contribution to the fact that personal safeguard provisions have been relaxed and this is still a cause for concern.

We are currently in a transitional phase in which it is right to proceed, but always with care and common sense, going from time to time to monitor the situation over time.

Omicron 2, a weaker immune response

If a person contracts the virus today, it is almost certainly the Omicron 2 variant, which is now becoming more and more prevalent.

We are now realising that the ‘bad luck’ of this virus is that even cured people are no longer assured of protection for life, as around 4-5% of daily cases involve people who re-infect themselves a second time.

Most of these are people who have been infected either during the first phase or recently, as it has been found that Omicron and Omicron 2 do not give a very strong immune response and lead to re-infection even in people who have recovered within a month to a month and a half.

As far as diagnosis is concerned, to date the molecular swab remains the tool that gives us the greatest reliability and safety.

Clearly, at this stage, it is important to have a swab, especially if one is symptomatic.

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Source:

GSD