ISLAMABAD: Experts say that the Omicron variant of Kovid-19 is less lethal, causes far fewer deaths, but is a super spreader than the previous variant.
"The oomicron is concentrated in the upper respiratory tract where it multiplies and infects other people," pulmonologist Dr Shajali Manzoor explained to The News. “When someone is hit by the flu and a cold, it is difficult to differentiate whether a person is vulnerable to the common influenza or the omicron. Only tests can diagnose it."
Another expert, Dr Kalim Choudhary, said that while the delta virus directly damaged the lungs, Omicron did not if doctors were consulted immediately. He said the common symptoms of Omicron were fever, sore throat, cough, fatigue and body aches, which, however, may not necessarily appear in every patient. "Many people are completely asymptomatic."
Manzoor said that hospitalizations and deaths due to Omicron are much lesser than the Delta virus. He said that the virus spreads through coughing and sneezing and infects the people around including the whole family. He said that his experience of attending to hundreds of Covid-19 patients every day shows that out of around 100 victims, only two require hospitalization and they too are discharged after some time.
He was of the opinion that the effect of Omicron wears off in most people after five/six days and intensifies after a day or two of infection. However, in most cases its severity is not very dangerous or life-threatening. However, he added, patients who delay visiting the doctor may experience more problems. Only the elderly and those who have other medical problems are overwhelmed by complications.
Manzoor advised people who have not yet been vaccinated to get the vaccine, and those who have been fully vaccinated, should get a booster. He elaborated that there are three types of antibodies – natural, which are produced by exposure to the virus; and those created by vaccination. An omicron strike reduces antibodies. No one knows whether this variant will become dangerous in the future.
In response to a question, Dr Manzoor said that Omicron has left behind the Delta virus. He said after a positive test for Covid-19 the next test should be done after 7/10 days. The pulmonologist said that the rapid spread of omicrons can lead to herd immunity. There is also a possibility that Kovid-19 may become endemic in the coming days. However, he ruled out any distraction from carrying forward the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) issued by the National Command and Operations Center (NCOC) against coronavirus.
He said that there is also a strong possibility that vaccination against the virus has to be done every year and people have to live with Covid-19. Since there is no cure for COVID-19 yet, vaccination is the only prevention against it.
Talking about the precautions, Dr Choudhary said that marriage halls, schools, public places, large gatherings and transport should be banned to avoid omicrons.
He said that school and college going children are largely responsible for infecting their parents and elders as they bring the virus from their educational institutions to their homes.
Dr Manzoor said that foreign Pakistanis living in Europe and America mostly visit Pakistan from November to January when their children are on holidays. “These trips exacerbate the virus situation in their home country. If we want to protect ourselves from Kovid-19 then we should not lower our guard and should wear mask and follow social distancing.”
Dr Chaudhary said that it is difficult to predict whether more corona variants will attack the world in the future. He said that if people follow the SOPs on a large scale, the spread of COVID-19 can be controlled to a great extent.