Nancy Lapid & Julie Steenhuysen

(Reuters] – Researchers are attempting to determine the impact of Omicron COVID-19. One of the key questions that scientists must answer is whether the new coronavirus version can overcome the dominant Delta virus.

Omicron was declared a “variant concern” by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday, just days after it was reported for the first time in southern Africa. WHO stated that it was working closely with researchers around the world to determine how Omicron will affect the COVID-19 pandemic. It expects new results within the next few days.

Omicron’s ability to evade vaccine protection or cause severe illness remain questions. However, such traits would not be as concerning if the variant is relatively contained.

Reuters spoke to several disease experts who believe Omicron may make vaccines less efficient. Omicron is similar in key ways to the two previously identified variants Beta and Gamma that make them more vulnerable to vaccines. Omicron also has 26 distinct mutations. Many of these are located in areas that have been targeted by vaccine antibodies.

However, Delta reached its destination much faster than all of its predecessors within a matter of months.

So the real question is “How transmissible Omicron relative to Delta.” John Moore is a professor at Weill Cornell Medical College, New York.

Experts said it was also most likely to remain unanswered. South African officials raised concerns about Omicron after they identified dozens more cases.

Scientists will closely monitor whether Omicron cases reported to public databases begin to replace those of Delta. Experts said that it could take up to six weeks depending on the speed of the variant.

More information is expected to be forthcoming in a shorter time. Two weeks from now, Dr. Peter Hotez of Baylor College of Medicine, who is a professor of molecular microbiology and virology, will have a more accurate picture of the disease’s severity. We are hearing different reports. Some say it is a mild illness, while others report severe cases at South African hospitals.

Researchers expect to have early results on Omicron’s ability to evade vaccine protection within a similar timeline. Lab tests will be done on blood samples of vaccinated individuals or laboratory animals to determine if Omicron can evade vaccine protection.

Moore explained that many laboratories are looking to create the Omicron viruses and to test their antibody sensitivity. That could take up to a few weeks.

David Ho is a Columbia University professor of microbiology in New York. He believes Omicron will have a significant degree of resistance based upon the locations of the virus’s mutations within the spike protein.

Ho explained that the vaccine antibodies target three parts of the coronavirus surge, and Omicron contains mutations in all three. Because of the information we have from Omicron’s structural analysis, technical experts are more concerned than public health professionals.

Other people point out that older variants of vaccines (such as Beta) had also been affected by mutations. But, those vaccines were still effective in preventing severe diseases and deaths. They said that even though vaccines may make neutralizing antibodies less effective, the immune system’s other components, known as T and B cells, will probably compensate.

John Wherry (director of Penn Institute for Immunology) said, “Vaccination is likely to still keep you in the hospital.”

As experts examine rates of Omicron-related infections in those who have been inoculated already, it is likely that the first practical studies of vaccine effectiveness in real life will be delayed by at least 3-4 weeks.

David Ho, Columbia, said that Omicron has been spreading already in Delta’s presence, which “outcompeted all other variants.”

Others insist that it remains open to debate.

Hotez said that Omicron doesn’t have any mutations to hinder its spread like Alpha and Delta.