According to a study, the hyper mutated Omicron Covid-19 variant infects and multiplies 70 times quicker in human lungs than the Delta and original SARS-CoV-2 variants. According to researchers from the LKS Faculty of Medicine at The University of Hong Kong, this could explain why Omicron is spreading considerably faster between humans than prior variations (HKUMed).
The team compared infection with the original SARS-CoV-2 from 2020, the Delta variant, and the recent Omicron variant after successfully isolating the Omicron variant in the lab. Lung tissue removed for treatment of the lung, which is normally discarded for investigating virus diseases of the respiratory tract, was used to compare infection with the original SARS-CoV-2 from 2020, the Delta variant, and the recent Omicron variant.
They discovered that the novel Omicron variant replicates quicker in the human bronchus than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus and the Delta variant. The Omicron variant reproduced 70 times faster than the Delta variant and the original SARS-CoV-2 virus 24 hours after infection.
The Omicron version, on the other hand, replicated less efficiently (more than 10 times less) in human lung tissue than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus, which could indicate a milder sickness. The study is currently undergoing peer review in preparation for publication.
“It’s important to keep in mind that the severity of sickness in people is dictated not just by virus replication, but also by the host immune response to the infection, which can lead to cytokine storm,” said Dr Michael Chan Chi-wai, Associate Professor at the university’s School of Public Health.
