Omicron: the highly mutational COVID-19 variant with immune escape

Abstract

In the latter-half of 2021, as people all over the world began optimistically thinking that reopening was just a heartbeat away, providence meant otherwise, and the world was once again hit by a COVID-19 variant; this time with a record number of 32 mutations across its spike proteins and significantly increased transmissibility, infectiousness and immune escape. The WHO subsequently named this variant the "Omicron variant," after yet another new Greek alphabet. Subsequently, it has been observed that the reinfection (evasion of immunity derived from prior infection) risk from the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is substantially higher than from the previously identified beta and delta variants. South African researchers have found preliminary results suggesting significant and ongoing increase in the risk of reinfection with the Omicron variant in patients who previously suffered from COVID-19 infection.