Omicron variant of SARS‐CoV‐2: Genomics, transmissibility, and responses to current COVID‐19 vaccines

Abstract

Currently, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) has spread worldwide as an Omicron variant. This variant is a heavily mutated virus and designated as a variant of concern by the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO cautioned that the Omicron variant of SARS‐CoV‐2 held a very high risk of infection, reigniting anxieties about the economy's recovery from the 2‐year pandemic. The extensively mutated Omicron variant is likely to spread internationally, posing a high risk of infection surges with serious repercussions in some areas. According to preliminary data, the Omicron variant of SARS‐CoV‐2 has a higher risk of reinfection. On the other hand, whether the current COVID‐19 vaccines could effectively resist the new strain is still under investigation. However, there is very limited information on the current situation of the Omicron variant, such as genomics, transmissibility, efficacy of vaccines, treatment, and management. This review focused on the genomics, transmission, and effectiveness of vaccines against the Omicron variant, which will be helpful for further investigation of a new variant of SARS‐CoV‐2.

Investigating sensitivity of nasal or throat (ISNOT): A combination of both swabs increases sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen tests

“…While some recent data have alleviated initial concerns over the possibility of decreased sensitivity of Ag-RDTs with Omicron, there are other noted differences from previous VOCs 4 . Omicron has increased transmission, reduced vaccine effectiveness 5,6 , and recent studies have suggested there could be differences in tissue tropism 3,7,8 .…”

SARS-CoV-2 spread and hospitalisations in paediatric patients during the omicron surge

“…The rapid spread of omicron is attributed to multiple mutations on the spike protein that might have conferred increased host-cell receptor binding affinity and the increased ability to escape immunity induced by COVID-19 vaccination and previous infection. 2 Host-cell analysis using pseudotyped SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins indicated that these mutations might have resulted in the omicron variant being more infectious than the delta (B.1.617.2) variant and other variants of concern. 2 , 3…”

In Silico Molecular Characterization of Human TMPRSS2 Protease Polymorphic Variants and Associated SARS-CoV-2 Susceptibility

“…SARS-CoV-2 Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351), Gamma (P.1) and Delta (B.1.617.2) variants are designated as the main variants of concern (VOC) due to their abilities to potentially decrease neutralization by neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) and vaccinations as well as their increased transmissibility, associated with their multiple mutations in the S glycoprotein [11][12][13][14]. The emergence of the new Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant, which was designated as a VOC on 26 November 2021, is of particular concern because the variant harbors a large number of mutations, particularly 30 mutations in the S glycoprotein-half of which are located in the RBD [15]. Some concerning S mutations are K417N, T478K, N501Y and D614G, all of which are found in the previous VOCs and responsible in the increased viral transmission and enhanced immune invasion [9,16].…”