Omicron: What we know from the 2 cases in Karnataka

While government and experts say there is no need to panic, whether Omicron is dangerous is yet to be ascertained

The emergence of India's first two cases of Omicron variant of Covid-19 in Karnataka has renewed fears of another variant-driven surge in the country, as was the case with Delta during this year's summer. However, Omicron cases in the country do not show any major health issues and the symptoms here are mild, according to state Health Minister K Sudhakar.

One of the cases is of a South African national who arrived in Bengaluru, tested positive and was asymptomatic on November 20. He checked into a hotel and was asked to self-isolate. All his primary and secondary contacts turned negative for Covid-19. His samples were sent for genome sequencing and he left from KIA on November 27, according to BBMP.

The other is of a Bengaluru doctor, who has no travel history but undertook a Covid-19 test after developing symptoms of fever and body ache. He tested positive. Due to the high viral load, the sample was sent for genome sequencing. Three of his primary contacts and two of secondary contacts were also found to be positive for the virus. Whether they are infected with Omicron is yet to be confirmed.

The source of doctor's Omicron infection remains unclear. A senior medical officer from a hospital where the doctor has been working told DH the case need not always be imported from outside.

"We have not treated any patients from Omicron-hit nations. If mutations occur in a certain country, the same can occur in other countries as well. They need not always be imported,” he said. The official also said waning antibodies from the vaccine could be the reason behind the infection since health workers were the first in line for the vaccination.

Bengaluru officials have expressed concerns over a large-scale spread of the variant, leading to surge in cases, and the answer to whether Omicron evolved in India will be known in a few days.

C N Manjunath, a member of the technical advisory committee (TAC), maintained that Omicron is not dangerous and that there is no need to panic. “From what we have understood so far, especially from those working closely with the variant in South Africa, is that the virus is not dangerous. In more than 95 per cent of the cases, no hospitalisation was required. So, I don’t think there is any need for panic,” he said, Hindustan Times reported.

Comparing Omicron against Delta

Omicron is by far the most heavily mutated variant of the virus. It has 50 mutations overall, with 32 mutations on the spike protein alone. For comparison, Delta has just nine mutato. According to a virologist, a large number of mutations could mean Omicron is more transmissible or better at evading the immune response. But whether it is more dangerous and transmissible remains unclear.

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