'Highly Infectious Omicron A Significant Threat'

Researchers at the University of Hong Kong have warned that the Omicron coronavirus variant could make a lot of people severely sick even though the strain may be less pathogenic.

Experiments done by the research team found that the new variant can infect and replicate in humans’ lower respiratory tract 70 times faster than the Delta version and the original strain, but multiply less efficiently in the lungs.

Dr Michael Chan, who led the study, said Omicron is a significant threat as its higher transmissibility means it could infect many more people including the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions.

“It is important to note that the severity of disease in humans is not determined only by virus replication but also by the host immune response to the infection, which may lead to dysregulation of the innate immune system”, Chan said.

“It is also noted that, by infecting many more people, a very infectious virus may cause more severe disease and death even though the virus itself may be less pathogenic.”

He said Omicron is expected to replace the Delta variant to become the dominant strain of Covid-19 around the world, adding that Hong Kong should continue to do its best to stop the virus from entering the community.