The omicron variant of the coronavirus is also spreading rapidly in this country, and there is great uncertainty. It is clear that the infections and hospitalizations in connection with Omikron will continue to increase, also in Switzerland. And yet: Experts from all over the world classify the virus variant as rather mild.
Hamsters have a lower viral load in their lungs
The as yet unchecked publication says that Omikron attacks the lungs less often than other variants of the coronavirus, reports the New York Times. Scarring on the lungs is also less common than with variants such as Delta or Alpha. Instead, the variant would rather target the upper airways such as the nose, throat, and bronchi.
According to the newspaper, the researchers infected hamsters and mice with different corona variants as part of their research. It was noticeable that the viral load in the noses of the rodents infected with Omikron was just as high as with the earlier mutations, but significantly lower in the lungs. As a result, the omicron hamsters had less fatal outcomes in the experiment.
The researchers from the USA and Japan are by no means the first to come to this conclusion: Scientists at the University of Hong Kong had already come to a similar conclusion in mid-December. According to their study, Omikron spreads up to 70 times faster in the bronchi than the delta variant, but up to ten times more slowly in the lungs than previous mutations.
Omikron develops into a respiratory specialist
The British virologist Ravindra Gupta told the newspaper what this finding has to do with a milder infection. Coronavirus infections would typically start in the nose or mouth and spread from there. Mild infections don’t get much further – only when the coronavirus reaches the lungs can it cause “serious damage” there.
The immune cells in the lungs could overreact and kill not only infected but also healthy cells. Or cause uncontrolled inflammation, which can scar the delicate walls of the lungs. In addition, according to Gupta, the coronavirus can escape from the damaged lungs into the bloodstream and thus trigger blood clots or even attack other organs.
But Omikron rarely does all of this, according to the virologist. He even suspects that the variant has developed into a kind of “specialist in upper respiratory tract”. Because this way the virus has a better chance of being breathed out again in tiny drops and thus finding new hosts. Another approach to explaining the high rate of infection? According to the researchers, this question is still open. (chs)