Omicron covid variant; first image suggests more mutations than Delta

Rome: The first image of the new Covid-19 variant, 'Omicron', shows that it has more mutations than Delta, Agence France Presse (AFP) reports. The Bambino Gesu hospital in Rome published the image of the variant first detected in South Africa.

The team of researchers who published the image said in a statement on Sunday that the three-dimensional image that resembles a map clearly shows that Omicron has mutations concentrated above all in one area of the protein that interacts with human cells.

It does not mean that the new variant is more dangerous, but the virus has further adapted to the human species by generating another variant, researchers said. More studies will tell if it is more dangerous, neutral or less dangerous than previous variants.

Claudia Alteri, one of the researchers and professor of clinical microbiology at Milan State University, told AFP that their study focussed on the search for mutations in the three-dimensional structure of the spike protein. This image, which represents the map for all variants, though it describes the mutations of Omicron, does not define its role. The image was produced from the study of the sequences of the new variant made available to the scientific community, which were coming mainly from Botswana, South Africa and Hong Kong, Claudia said.

Now, it should be determined through laboratory experiments whether the combination of these mutations can impact transmission of the virus or the effectiveness of vaccines, she added.