Should I be afraid of the omicron variant?

Before 2019, some coronaviruses circulated in the population. They are the human coronaviruses 229E, NL63, OC43, and HKU1. The SARS-Cov-2 entered the scene in December 2019.

Every time a virus infects anyone, it mutates and changes to find a way to survive. That’s because everybody’s immune system is different. The specificity and properties of an individual’s antibodies, T-cells, B-cells, and others are formed based on their genetic makeup, vaccination status, prior exposure to other viruses, and health conditions.

Viruses do not think. They don’t have a brain. What they do is replicate, and errors or mutations happen. Some mutations are successful, and other mutations kill the virus.

If a SARS-CoV-2 encounters a group of people or a population that has been exposed to several viruses, then we can expect those people to have an “experienced” immune system that knows how to handle a wide range of viruses with several mutations. This enables that host to survive that virus.

If the mutations make the viruses more deadly, then the carrier either becomes symptomatic, seeks treatment, gets hospitalized and isolated, or dies—all of these separate the person infected with a more pathogenic variant from the rest of the population.

If the variant is less deadly or pathogenic, the infected carrier will be mildly symptomatic or asymptomatic, not seek treatment, and will not die. That means that variants with all those mutations will survive with their host and spread to the general population. The host with the subclinical infection will develop an immune response towards that variant.

This is the reason why viral epidemics go away even without vaccinations. The population develops herd immunity.

If genetic sequencing is done on those asymptomatic people who carry the viruses with more mutations, the genome sequencing will reveal the mutations that enabled them to survive and live among asymptomatic people.

This is what happened to the four vaccinated people where the omicron variants were isolated. All of them were asymptomatic, and the test was conducted routinely in Botswana because they were traveling.
You can find the link here.

Most probably, the omicron variant is widespread by now in Botswana and Africa.

That does not necessarily mean that the omicron variant is 100% nonfatal. Severe illness may happen if someone is immune-compromised and has several chronic conditions like obesity, hypertension, and diabetes.

If someone does not have a wide range of immune defense against the omicron, they may develop symptoms.

So, should you be afraid of the omicron variant? Personally, I will continue what I am currently doing.

My strategy at this time is to maintain a healthy immune response with diet and exercise. Continue hand washing and the use of hand sanitizers. Stay away from symptomatic people. I take the necessary supplements to optimize my immune system and treat early for any signs of viral infections.

You can find them here at 16 Ways to Avoid COVID-19 During the Holidays.

The next weeks will show if the omicron variant will live to its hype.

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