Omicron - A Virus of Concern

 Hello guys welcome back! I hope you are safe and healthy in this difficult and challenging time.  Today we are discussing about "Omicron - All you need to know about" so make sure you stick to the   blog and read it till the end.

What is Omicron?

Omicron virus or B.1.1.529 is a new variant of virus that causes Covid-19. This virus is one of the 5 viruses that have been found so far. 

It is first discovered in Botswana a country in South Africa. First case that is officially reported was discovered on 24th November 2021.

Since the virus has been found, over 20 countries including India are infected with omicron. More than 1000 people from all over world are infected till the current date.

So far 50 mutations have been observed in Omicron, of which 32 are in it's spike protein. 

Why it is more dangerous than delta virus?

To know how dangerous this virus variant is, let's look into a scenario. We all know that delta virus is the strain of virus that causes the mass destruction in all over the world. Every 4 or 5 out of 10 infected person was losing their life because of this delta virus.

The reason behind the mass outbreak of delta virus is it's mutation. Delta virus had 8 mutations, due to which it became deadly. Basically mutation means change in the DNA sequence.

As I told Delta virus had 8 mutations means Delta virus changed himself 8 times and due to this 8  mutations our body could not stop virus from entering into our cell. 

If we compare Delta virus with Omicron, the number of mutations in Omicron is 50 which is a much larger value and 50 mutation means virus now changed himself 50 times which is a matter of concern because if our body immune system can't detect virus after 8 mutation so how will this immune system will able to find virus which mutates 50 times. Every time our body detects virus and try to kill it virus will mutate himself and fool our immune system. This is the reason why Omicron is a virus of concern.

One more reason why Omicron is dangerous than Delta is that It is more transmissible than Delta virus.

The transmissibility of Omicron is much higher than Delta virus. It spreads out from person to person very easily. Some research from south africa shows that this virus spreads with air too!

Scientist continuously doing research on this new variant So that we can get to know about this variant better. 

Which age group is more prone to Omicron?

Generally virus is dangerous for every age group because virus never enters the body by asking the one's age group but every virus is more prone to a specific age group like if we take the example of Delta virus it was more prone to young and adult people rather than infants, children and older adults.

The research so far suggests that this Omicron virus is more dangerous for young children and infants.

If we talk South Africa where this variant is originated the number of infants and young children admitted in hospital is worth considering. The reason behind this fact is that Immune system and Immunity of infants and children are not very strong and still in development process so when a virus tries to enter in their body, the immune system does not respond quickly as compared to adults and elder children That is why small children gets sick very easily especially during the season of winter.

More research is yet to come, which will know how much this virus will affect the children.

Symptoms of omicron

Symptoms of omicron virus are categorized into three category:-

• Most common symptoms:- fever, cough, tiredness, loss of taste or smell.
• Less common symptoms:- sore throat, headache, aches, pains, diarrhea, a rash on skin, discoloration of fingers or toes, red or irritated eyes.
• Serious symptoms:- difficulty in  breathing or shortness of breath, loss of speech or mobility, or confusion or chest pain.

If you have any of the above symptoms please consult your doctor and In case of serious symptoms contact hospital immediately.

Do's and Don't 

Things to do:-

• Please wear mask as I see so many people doesn't wear mask and go everywhere freely as we do before 2019 so if you are one of them please wear mask because without mask you are risking your life and maintain social distancing.
• Avoid public gatherings.
• Sanitize your hands and your household items that you keep touching.
• Don't spit everywhere.
• If you get infected then separate yourself from everyone and inform health authorities.
• Keep your immunity strong by eating vitamin c rich foods.
• Do some physical exercises and try to stay fit.

Things not to do:-

• Do not panic.
• Do not go to public places.
• Do not travel until it's necessary.
• Do not believe on everything you read on WhatsApp forward or on internet.
• If you are positive do not take antibiotics without consulting from your doctor.
• Do not skip night sleep.
• Do not touch your face with your hands.
• Don't consider yourself a doctor and take any medicine.

Some foods to boost our immunity

1. Citrus fruits like oranges, grapes and lemons.
2. Garlic
3. Ginger
4. Spinach
5. Papaya
6. Turmeric
7. Green tea
8. Kiwi
9. Eggs
10. Nuts
11. Organic seeds
12. Sweet potatoes
13. Kiwi
14. Blueberries
15. Dark chocolates

Conclusion

It's only been 2 weeks since Omicron was detected, so not much is known about it, but that doesn't mean we should ignore it. All the variants that have come so far, all of them used to act in such a way that they will be able to do more things but what turned out to be the result is all in front of you. That's why I want to say that covid is not gone yet nor will it ever be able to go away from our life like today every 6-8 months we get the news of new variants, the same will continue to happen in the future, so it will be better to learned to live with it like we do with other diseases.

Thankyou for reading my blog. I hope you like it and gain some useful information from this blog. Please give your feedback in the comment section below it gives me motivation for my next blog.   Share with your family and friends .Regularly visit my website for more such content. Stay safe, stay healthy, wear mask and maintain social distancing.