Professor says Omicron will infect more people than Delta

A Turkish professor has said that the new variant Omicron, which has also been detected in Turkey, can cause more diseases for those who have survived Covid-19, those who have not completed their vaccines and those who have been vaccinated a long time ago, compared to Delta. Although it has been officially announced that it has been detected in six patients, the number of people infected is expected to be higher.

In the meantime, Turkey’s Health Minister announced that there was one case in Istanbul and five cases in Izmir. These are just detected cases. Six times more cases of transmission of Omicron than Delta indicate that patients in the community are much more numerous.

Stating that they knew that the new variant was definitely in Turkey before it would be noticed and that it would be caught when reaching the frequency to be detected, the Professor said, “As the number of cases increases, the chances of catching will also increase. One of the problems we have is that the genetic tracking and screening of the virus is not at the desired levels. The General Directorate of Public Health is trying to increase capacity. At the moment it is about 1 percent. It should reach at least 10 percent. Of course, it is important that these screening results are shared at least with the scientific public.”In reply to a question, the Professor (a member of the Board of Directors of the Turkish Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases – KLIMIK), said they cautiously approached optimistic scenarios related to Omicron.

It is easily transmitted, multiplies a lot

Another important feature about the new variant is that it is easily transmitted and multiplies a lot in the body. This means that the virus load will be excessive in those who are sick. The Professor emphasized that one of the important factors determining the severity of the disease in Covid-19 is the amount of virus entering the body (virus load): “We expect it to be a little heavier because Omicron is easily transmitted and multiplies a lot and creates a virus load. Compared to the previous variant, Alpha, Delta was heavier compared to Alpha. We will see a similar picture on Omicron.” (diken.com.tr)