OMICRON – A newer and potentially dangerous variant of SARS-CoV-2

It won’t be wrong to say that the COVID-19 pandemic is one of those disastrous diseases in the history of mankind that has almost put humanity on the verge of collapse. Since early 2020, offices, shops, theatres, gyms, restaurants, and manufacturing units were shut-down, there was a complete lockdown in many countries across the world to bring the spread of the coronavirus under control.

The problem of COVID was controlled from time to time due to efficient government initiatives and policies along with the introduction of vaccination at the right time. The amazing work done by doctors & medical staff and other healthcare workers can not be ignored that helped in restraining the spread of the disease.

However, the pandemic is still far from over. On 26 November 2021, WHO designated the new variant of the virus called OMICRON which belongs to a lineage named B.1.1.529. It was first founded by The Network for Genomics Surveillance in South Africa (NGS-SA). Cases have now been reported from across the world and this variant is considered to be more transmissible than the previous variants. Last month, approximately 151,368 cases from over 108 countries were reported that included 26 deaths.

The most common symptoms of Omicron which one should watch out for are fever, cough, tiredness, and loss of taste or smell.

Less common symptoms of Omicron are headache, aches, pains, diarrhea, sore throat, discoloration of fingers or toes, a rash on the skin, and red or irritated eyes.

Serious symptoms of Omicron include difficulty breathing, loss of speech or mobility, confusion, shortness of breath, and chest pain.

 India’s active omicron cases presently stand at 17,36,628, while the recovery rate is now at 94.09 percent.

Below mentioned are a few steps that you can follow to keep yourself safe from getting infected by this new variant:

- Always wear face masks, preferable N95 masks in the correct way when outside

- Always carry hand sanitizers

- Only go outside when it is urgent, else stay home

- Maintain social distance

- Avoid using public transport if possible

- Maintain hand hygiene; keep washing hands-on at regular intervals

- Avoid poorly ventilated and crowded spaces

- Open doors and windows to improve ventilation indoors

- Get vaccinated as soon as you can. WHO-approved COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective in fighting the coronavirus