Omicron variant soon likely to enter villages, experts predict

Following its transmission in metro areas, COVID-19‘s Omicron variant-driven wave will move to small towns and villages in the coming weeks, according to Dr. Rajeev Jayadevan, who is assisting the COVID-19 task force at IMA, Kochi, Kerala.

Each time a wave has affected high-mobility areas first, such as metro centres, before moving on to smaller towns and villages. So it (the Omicron-driven wave) will migrate to smaller cities or towns and then villages in the next few weeks. This is a global trend that has been noticed, Dr. Jayadevan told ANI

When asked if Omicron may replace other COVID variants or if it will remain a common cold, Dr. Jayadevan answered, “That is not the case; in fact, if you look at the pandemic’s history over the last two years, all variants have died off.” There isn’t a single variation that has lasted long enough to become dominant. There could be a few outliers here and there. “

He also used South Africa as an example, claiming that their waves are classic.

The first wave was the original Wuhan variant, the second was Beta, the third was Delta, and the fourth was Omicron. Each wave was six months apart. In India, we were first hit by the original Wuhan variety in March 2021, and then by Delta last year. Now we’ve been attacked by Omicron this year. As a result, it’s quite likely that Omicron will stick around for a while. Delta is unlikely to survive in the long run, he pointed out.

Dr. Jayadevan further stated that both variations are currently behaving the same and that neither is more dangerous than the other because everyone knows Omicron and Delta behave differently.

When Delta arrived, a large segment of our population was terrified because they had never seen the virus before and had not been vaccinated, he explained. However, Omicron is arriving at a time when the vast majority of people have either had natural exposure to the virus or have been vaccinated.

He also mentioned that certain studies have found that Omicron interacts with different tissue cells in somewhat different ways, and that it is less likely to induce infection in the lungs.

Also read: Corona Vada: New COVID style recipe that will ensure your tastebuds still work

“I’m hearing information on the ground that this (Omicron) type reduces lung disease specifically,” the health expert added.

People are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms even when they aren’t going out, according to Dr. Vivek Nangia, Principle Director and Head of Pulmonology at Max Hospital.

“This is completely right,” Dr. Nangia said, “that Omicron has progressed to a stage where it’s more about community dissemination than just by travellers coming from abroad, which has resulted in an increase in COVID cases.”

He also stated that the Omicron variation of the coronavirus infection differs from the Delta version in that patients recover quickly in the event of Omicron.

“People who haven’t even gone outside and haven’t left their houses are having symptoms,” he added.