Hong Kong University scientists revealed that the SARS-COV-2 oomikron strain breeds in the person’s bronchi 70 times faster than delta strain and source, Wuhan, coronavirus version. This property can explain why the new virus mutation is easier to transmit between people than previous ones. The results of the study reported in a press release of the university.
In the course of experiments, specialists used pulmonary tissue to assess the reproduction of various strains of coronavirus, including successfully isolated “Omicron”. After 24 hours after the infection of Omicron, it was replicated in bronchi about 70 times faster than the “Delta” and the original SARS-COV-2 strain. However, directly in the pulmonary fabric, the opposite picture was observed: “Omicron” was replicated less efficiently (ten times lower) than the SARS-COV-2 source virus, which may indicate the smaller gravity of the disease.
At the same time, scientists note that the severity of COVID-19 also depends on the reaction of the immune system, which can lead to a cytokine storm. In addition, the more infectious strain of the virus can contribute to a greater number of hospitalizations and deaths, even if it is less pathogenic than mutations before. Since it is known that Omicron is able to partially avoid immunity associated with vaccination or suffered by infection, all these properties make a new strain dangerous to a large extent.