As society began to return to normal with vaccination, one word forced us to remember that we persist in times of pandemic: Omicron. This is a new variant of COVID-19 It has activated alarms, and the World Health Organization considers it “alarming” because of its high level of spread.

more information: Restrictions imposed by omicron on panorama world of flights

This new alternative has made the virus more contagious and prompted governments to start taking measures, such as reducing capacities and restrictions on unvaccinated people to prevent its rapid spread. Here are some things you should know, according to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo.

more information: About 50% of intensive care beds in EsSalud hospitals are occupied

5 IMPORTANT THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT OMICRON, THE NEW ALTERNATIVE TO COVID-19

Why does Omicron communicate more?

Mutations allow the virus to enter human cells more easily and become more infectious. When we make a new key in the hardware store, it costs more to open the door, but with use, the key becomes more accurate. And the same happened with the virus: over time it was refined. In addition, a very interesting fact from a preliminary study indicates that, compared to other variants, the omicron doubles 70 times faster in the human bronchi. This is how viruses work, as their goal is to spread further to become auto-pathogens, that is, to stay with us forever.

Why can Omicron leak some vaccines?

Vaccines against the coronavirus are designed as a reference, a spike protein, to the original variant of the virus. The vaccines are not designed to recognize the 32 mutations present in this new variant. Fortunately, vaccines recognize some, but not all, of the common key structures. So, even if we get vaccinated, we can continue to spread. What has been said from the beginning is that vaccines protect against severe forms of infection, but they do not protect against infection.

What is the least dangerous virus that kills fewer people?

If the virus continues to be transmitted en masse, there could be many deaths due to the number of people infected. El Mundo newspaper explains: Imagine a virus that kills thirty percent of those infected, (which is a lot), and infects a thousand people: 300 people will die. Now let’s imagine a virus that kills only 1% of those infected, but is able to infect 100,000 people: although it is less deadly, because it is more contagious, a thousand people will die, more than in the previous case.

Are the antibodies reduced? Were we unprotected against OMICRON?

It is true that antibody levels tend to decrease over time. However, we also have cellular immunity that lasts longer. A healthy person with two doses should not be concerned to think that they are unprotected. The third dose was vaccinated first for those at risk and then the elderly, whose immune systems are also aging and responding worse to the vaccine.

Is the third dose effective?

Although there are studies that suggest that only through a cellular response can infection be controlled. There are also studies that indicate that a booster dose reduces acute COVID-19 at any age and significantly increases the neutralizing activity against omicron.

What symptoms caused by omicron?

Preliminary studies have shown that muscle aches, fatigue, and headaches are Omicron’s most distinctive symptoms. There are also pictures of feverish and sore throat. In general, the symptoms are quite similar to those we already know, although it has been observed in the detected cases that they did not cause a loss of taste or smell.

How many variants of the SARS-COV-2 virus are there currently?

The World Health Organization considers a fair number, but not all of them a “variable of interest” (VOC). In this special list we have:

1. Alpha (first detected in the UK, September 2020)
2. Beta (South Africa, May 2020)
3. Gamma (Brazil, November 2020)
4. Delta (India, October 2020)
5. Now to microns.