Is Covid’s Omicron Variant in India as deadly as the Delta Variant? Everything we know so far

Dr.Prabhat Sinha, 3 mins read

The Omicron variant in India has logged close to 2700 cases till now but shockingly there were close to 95,000 new COVID cases reported in the last 24 hours, with the daily positivity rate over 6 percent as per the Union Health Ministry. India also reported its first omicron death from Rajasthan. 

Coronavirus in Delhi is seeing a massive surge with almost 15,000 cases a day and the positivity rate has skyrocketed to over 15 percent, according to data from the state health department. 

Coronavirus isn’t back again, it never left, and it has brought a new variant for us to deal with. Throughout the pandemic, many variants of coronavirus have emerged as SARS-CoV-2, continue to mutate. Most variants have no impact on how the virus works on humans. But some changes, like the changes in the delta variant, have made the Omicron virus in India more transmissible and contagious than the original version of covid-19 that was from late 2019.

Last November, a new variant of coronavirus emerged and was named omicron by the World Health Organization, which has listed omicron as a variant of concern.  

In case you hear people saying omicron is nothing to worry about, you should know that reports have indeed shown a reduced risk of needing hospitalization with Omicron compared to Delta, it is far more contagious and a lot of people are admitted to hospitals for us to be complacent. It is not as mild as people say; some have had high fevers for days without improvement despite medication.

Omicron is mostly infecting the upper respiratory tract but doctors have already reported cases of lung damage, especially among elderly people and those who have co-morbidities. It is also beyond doubt that its transmissibility rate is very high and if too many people get infected together; hospitals will get overwhelmed, again. 

The typical symptoms of Omicron are a cough, fever, tiredness, sore throat, headaches, and other aches and pains. Unlike the previous symptoms of the Delta variant, there is no loss of smell or taste in most patients this time. 

There is currently no new Omicron variant vaccine but the vaccines already available are effective in that they lessen the chances of hospitalisation in fully vaccinated people. As Omicron is still new, scientists are learning more about it, but their commitment and research are rapidly giving us insight into this new variant and how it's genetic get up will impact how it spreads and the people infected with it.

Here are a few common questions people have about the Omicron variant: 

Is Omicron more contagious? 

Early studies have shown the omicron variant to be more infectious than the delta variant. However; the standard prevention protocols like vaccination, wearing masks, social distancing, ventilation, and regular hand-washing are quite effective in reducing the risk of infection. 

Will omicron cause more severe COVID-19 infections and symptoms?

So far, the answer appears to be no but we need to keep track to learn more about this in the coming weeks. Even if active covid infections are asymptomatic or mild, the long-term impacts of coronavirus infections are well established. 

Do the current COVID vaccines work and against this variant?

We still have to learn more about this but for now, we can say that those who are 

fully vaccinated with sufficient immunity; which lasts six months after the second dose, and those who have received boosters, are at much lesser risk of needing hospitalisation and death. The weeks ahead will tell us much more about how current vaccinations fight the omicron variant. If they can do so as they did against the delta variant, it will be really great news.

Scientists are also confident in case the current vaccines don’t provide sufficient protection against severe illness or death due to Omicron; they’ll be able to quickly modify the current vaccines to address omicron.

Are there any medicines for protection against Omicron? 

Since the pandemic began, many existent drugs were repurposed to treat Covid complications and some new therapies also came up. Two therapies that gained a lot of attention are monoclonal antibodies and the antiviral drug called Molnupiravir. You should know that Monoclonal antibodies available in India have no effect against Omicron. While Molnupiravir has helped reduce hospitalisation in a small number of patients, the drug has some side effects and is not advised for pregnant women and children. 

The Omicron variant is a reminder that the fight against covid is far from over and we should use all the resources and knowledge at our disposal for our safety and for those we care for. It can be said that the mortality rate from the Omicron variant is lesser than the Delta variant but people are still ending up in hospitals. Some patients require oxygen support; they are fully vaccinated patients. 

We wish to keep you informed and expect your alertness and COVID-19 appropriate behaviour.