New Version of the Omicron Variant has Been Allegedly Detected; How Many Similarities Does it Share?

(Photo : Image by Gerd Altmann/Pixabay )

The Australian government stated the new version of the Omicron variant called the mirror version that allegedly arose from South Africa. Its source is a South African man infected with the mutant strain, a derivative of the original Omicron strain.

An infected individual is in quarantine in Brisbane after he tested for the virus, which is said to surpass the delta is yet to be seen.

So-called sister strain causes alarm

According to Queensland Health minister Yvette D'Ath has told media that the strain in question is descended from two variants as defined by an international committee, the Express UK reports.

The World Health Organization (WHO) remarked the suspected strain does not have the genotypes common to Omicron as clarification. It simply means the shortcut to identifying the type is not applicable in this case.

Peter Aitken, the acting chief health officer, said the sister variant lacks the S-gene dropout, which differentiates the original mutant strain.

He said that some of the markers that make it a dead ringer for Omicron, but some factors notwithstanding, like how infectious and if it can genuinely evade the vaccines are yet to be discerned by specialists, cited Bloomberg.

The only thing everyone knows is that the Omicron could infect host cells better and infect at a much faster rate. Microbiologist Peter Collignon from the Australian National University remarked that more work is needed to research the virus strain that might be just masquerading as a new version of the Omicron variant.

He added that if the gene is gone from the strain, it might be another gene still there. It is like hiding and mistaking it for a new strain when the new mutant strain changes itself. This makes people think there is more than one out there, noted Metro UK.

The professor stated the so-called sister variant as another claim it is the same mutant strain but the genotype of the virus the adaptation of change to give an illusion of a new infective kind.

It should not be called a new type of virus but a sub-set. To be called a sister strain with new genes will need a significant change. This should be made clear, or there will be unnecessary alarm.

Omicron as variant of concern

Last November 26, the WHO called the new Omicron mutant first reported in South Africa of concern. The first wild type is the fifth SARS-CoV-2 to be called a variant of concern.

From the first detection, the mutant variant of the 5th strain is said to be moving all over the globe but not at the catastrophic that was predicted, even in the UK.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid remarked that Omicron cases had been detected a day past but added that no exposure due to travel abroad is the cause. It might be the case of the virus already in communities that have been exposed to the mutant variant.

On Tuesday, a total of 336 cases have been registered in the UK of the allegedly highly infections variant, up from 90 last Sunday.

The new version of the Omicron variant might be the same, but only the former changing, although the vaccine makes who say they are better is not proven yet.