Features

Update on the Omicron variant

Published

4 years ago

2022/02/28

Sahan Weerasooriya

By M.C.M. Iqbal

(mcmif2003@yahoo.com)

Scientists in South Africa announced on 25 November the discovery of a new variant of the Coronavirus. On 26 November, the WHO named this variant, Omicron. Although the virus originated in neighbouring Botswana, the media labelled South Africa as the country of origin.

Despite the WHO adopting a neutral system to identify new variants of the Coronavirus (using letters of the Greek alphabet), the Omicron variant is associated with South Africa. However, there are two more letters between Delta and Omicron in the Greek alphabet that the WHO decided not to use. These are Nu and Xie, which the WHO thought could be confused with ‘new’, while Xie is a common surname in China. The last variant of the virus to emerge was the Delta variant, which surfaced in December 2020, in India. This article is an attempt to explain the latest findings on the Omicron variant.

Global status

Omicron has spread across countries faster than any of the previous variants of the Coronavirus. Within two months it spread to 151 countries on all the continents. Some experts believe it is the fastest spreading virus in human history. The figure below, from Nextstrain, shows the nearly total replacement of the then-dominant Delta variant by the Omicron variant by mid-February. Nextstrain is a global database depicting the real-time evolution of the genomes of the coronavirus and other globally significant pathogens. This interactive platform provides professionals and the public information to understand pathogens’ global spread and evolution, including information on individual countries. (https://nextstrain.org/ncov/open/global).

See figure:

Global distribution of Delta and Omicron variants on [A] 1^st January 2022 and [B] 11th February 2022 (Graphic: Fadil Iqbal/IUPUI. Data: Nextstrain)

What’s unique about Omicron?

Scientists are using hi-tech approaches to understand the unique structure of the Omicron variant. One such method is called cryo-electron microscopy, which has revealed the molecular structure of the spike proteins of the virus. Spikes on the Coronavirus, the flower-like protrusions on the surface, are the key to the virus’ design, which it uses to latch on to and enter our cells. Unlike the previous Alpha and Delta variants, the Omicron variant has over 30 changes (mutations) to its spike.

The initial Coronavirus and the earlier variants, Alpha and Delta, could infect our lungs, causing many complications. The virus turned the lungs into a battlefield reducing their capacity to provide oxygen to our body. Seriously ill patients were given oxygen. So, why is Omicron apparently causing a milder form of the disease? Omicron seems less efficient in infecting the cells in the lungs than those in our nose and throat. The changes in the spike of the Omicron have hindered its ability to enter the lung cells.

Changes in Omicron

The changes or mutations in the Omicron variant has enabled the virus to spread more quickly in the human population. Significant modifications identified by scientists are summarised below.

Evading defences

The immune system in our body is our defence system that destroys and eliminates any foreign disease-causing agents entering our body. A primary weapon of the immune system is antibodies. These are produced either due to previous infections or are induced by vaccines. They attach themselves to the virus and neutralise their ability to get into our cells. The vaccines for COVID-19 are based on spike proteins. Around half of the new mutations of Omicron are found on a region of the spike (called receptor binding domain), which binds with a protein on the surface of cells in our throat and lungs (called ACE2 receptor). This binding is crucial for the virus to enter the cell. These new mutations have changed the spikes of the Omicron variant so much so that our antibodies from vaccinations and previous infections cannot recognize the spike. Consequently, Omicron can escape some of the defences created by the vaccines. Fortunately, only some of our antibodies, called neutralising antibodies, are affected by this. Because of this, vaccination and boosters still provide us with protection, preventing severe infection.

The earlier variants too had spike mutations, but these were few and prevented only some of the antibodies from recognizing the spike. The changes on the Omicron spike are more numerous. Imagine a jigsaw puzzle with only a few pieces missing or changed, you can still make out the picture. But if many pieces are altered or missing, you would not recognize the picture.

Better spike to enter cells

Before latching onto the receptors on our cells in the throat and lungs, which are the doorway into our throat and lung cells, two parts (subunits) of the spike protein need to open or separate. In the previous variants, these subunits were weakly attached. Some separated too early and thus were not available to latch on to the receptors on the cells. In the Omicron variant these subunits are stabilised so that much more spikes are available, increasing the chances of the virus attaching to the receptors.

It begs the question, if the Omicron spike has changed, how can it bind to the cells at all? Scientists from the Universities of British Columbia and Washington say that the mutations have increased its ability to bind with our cells at a level on par with the Delta variant.

New route of entry

The previous variants needed the cooperation of two proteins on the surface of our cells, to enter (called ACE2 and TMPRSS2), and some cells do not have the second protein. Therefore, the virus could not enter cells that did not have the second protein. Omicron needs only the help of ACE2 to enter cells and now has a more extensive range of cells to enter.

Omicron spreads rapidly

The virus is quickly expelled into the air if it infects and multiplies in the throat. Further, since Omicron causes a milder form of the disease, infected persons may be unaware that they carry the virus. They would be moving about socially and at work spreading the virus. Consequently, the obvious means of slowing or preventing the spread of the virus is to always wear a mask and avoid social gatherings.

Studies also show the period between exposure to the virus and onset of symptoms is now three days for Omicron. At the pandemic’s beginning, this was more than five days, and for the Delta variant, it was four days.

Immediate concern

Scientists have two significant concerns. First, Omicron can spread rapidly, and second, it can bypass our immune system. Our immune system is our internal defence system, using antibodies and an arsenal of chemicals and cells. In addition, the available vaccines were designed by scientists based on the Coronavirus variants circulating in the population. Thus, major changes to the Coronavirus can reduce the efficiency of available vaccines. Health authorities observed both these concerns in the past month: Omicron can spread more rapidly than the earlier dominant Delta variant, and vaccination shows a reduced ability to prevent infection by Omicron, compared to the Delta variant. This has called for booster doses for people who have already received the two mandatory doses.

What can be done?

Vaccination is the primary tool we have to prevent the spread of the virus and curtail its opportunities to multiply. Besides the two mandatory doses of the vaccine, we also need to get the booster; this strategy has shown a marked reduction in severe disease and the need for hospitalisation. In addition, we should rigorously follow the simple rules we are familiar with – wearing a mask at all times when outside, maintaining social distance, and following hygienic practices by washing hands with soap and avoiding touching the nose and face with possibly contaminated hands.

Future

The Coronavirus is here for the long haul. New variants will keep emerging, and it seems unlikely we can eradicate it. The virus has only two major routes into our body: The nose and mouth, which we should always be mindful of, particularly in public spaces. All we need is a tight-fitting mask to prevent the entry of the virus. Media should help to counter vaccine hesitancy and the spread of misinformation. As individuals, we need to understand the biology of the virus (the purpose of this article), to avoid spreading the virus and infecting ourselves and others, and above all, to stop the spread of false information through social media. The underlying science of the Coronavirus is evolving rapidly, as seen by research published daily. Although the virus is also changing and producing unpredictable variants, the science should be supported, in a broad sense, for health authorities and policymakers to develop strategies to mitigate the spread and impact of the Coronavirus.

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Features

The challenge of keeping value-based politics alive

Published

8 hours ago

2026/05/28

Sahan Weerasooriya

Anti-migrant protests in Durban, South Africa. BBC

The current outbreak of anti-immigrant protests in Durban, South Africa is bound to have taken many a subscriber to value-based politics or political idealism quite by surprise. After all, this is evidence that despite the historic accomplishments of nation-builders of the stature of the late President Nelson Mandela it cannot be taken for granted that identity politics, including racism in its worst forms, is no more in South Africa.

At the time of this writing details are scarce on the substantive root causes of the protests but it could very well be that economic grievances, particularly on the part of the majority community in South Africa, are contributing considerably to the disaffection. Shrinking employment and material prospects are likely to figure majorly among the factors igniting the unrest.

Fortunately, the local authorities in Durban are losing no time in calling for peaceful co-existence among the relevant communities and are pointing to the vital importance of stepping-up national integration processes. Apparently, immigrants in sizable numbers from neighbouring countries are present in Durban. However, international TV footage of the protests quoted some local authorities as saying that the majority of the immigrants in some centres that housed them were not illegal migrants and had the documents that entitle them to be in Durban.

In the Durban protests the world has fresh proof of the socially divisive consequences of the gathering globe-wide economic disaffection, touched off particularly by the continuing crisis in West Asia. Going ahead, the world would need to brace for increasing identity-based unrest of the kind it is just witnessing in South Africa.

Considering that the material lot of ordinary people everywhere could only aggravate progressively, with the US and Iran showing no signs of negotiating an end to their confrontation any time soon, it will be left to the more democratic and progressive sections of the world community to initiate positive measures collectively to bring a measure of relief to the discontented.

The swiftness with which such relief will be provided would depend crucially on the importance those sections taking up these undertakings attach to value-based politics as opposed to Realpolitik of power politics.

Going by these yardsticks, Italy could be considered to be moving in the right direction. Recently Italy came to the fore in initiating the collective named, ‘Rome Coalition for Food Security and Access to Fertilizer’, which has as one of its aims the swift provision of fertilizer to economically weak African countries.

In a recent statement Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, said that a principal aim of the project was to ensure that the farmers of Africa gained easy access to fertilizer, considering that food security is a growing concern among some of Africa’s economically vulnerable countries.

The statement went on to mention that some 30 countries hailing from the Mediterranean region, the Middle East, the Balkans as well as the FAO had been invited to join the coalition. The venture is far-seeing in that food security is main among the reasons for social discontent which in turn could degenerate into endemic political turmoil and bloodshed. Separatist violence and geographical fragmentation of countries wouldn’t be too far behind these developments, as Africa itself has often proved.

It is hoped that more G7 countries would take the cue from Italy and do what they could to ease the hardships of economically distressed countries, particularly of the global South. In these efforts they would need to break rank with the US, which is today brutally indifferent to the consequences of its policy of making ‘America First’, come what may.

Going by current developments, the Trump administration seems to be blithely oblivious to the wider, deleterious effects of its policy course in West Asia. Besides rendering Iran militarily and otherwise impotent nothing else seems to matter to Washington, as regards West Asia. This is policy short-sightedness of an extreme kind. After all, right now West Asia could be said to be sitting on the proverbial powder keg.

On the other hand, Iran is not giving the world the impression that it is doing anything constructive to get out of the policy straitjacket that it wove for itself decades ago. Rather than enter into a policy of ‘live and let live’ in relation to Israel in particular and initiate a process of reconciliation with the latter, it has chosen to operate within policy parameters that continue to damn Israel. This has put Israel always on the ‘defensive’ so to speak and prevented the opening up of space for meaningful dialogue.

That said, Israel is obliged to explore the possibilities of entering into a negotiatory process with the Arab-Islamic world that could lead to a de-escalation of tensions and bloodshed. It cannot continue to look at its neighbours through lenses that distort them as archetypal enemies who should be ‘wiped off completely from the face of the earth.’

In other words, the need is urgent for Realpolitik to give way to value-based politicks. Italy is beginning to prove that the latter approach could be pursued with some success. May be the EU and the UK could throw their weight behind these initiatives as well and establish that international politics could be refashioned on the basis of humane, civilized norms. The UN would need to be fully supportive of these moves and prove an organizational nucleus of the operations that follow.

In fact the time is ripe for people of conscience to collectively stand up on the side of peace and say ‘No’ to war and violence. Organizations such as the ICRC, the WHO and Medicines Sans Frontiers have already taken up this call. Referring to the widespread destruction of health facilities and their dehumanizing results these organizations have said, among other things, that ‘This is not a failure of the law. It is a failure of political will.’

True, ‘failure of political will’ among those powers that matter accounts for the runaway, uncontrollable nature of war and destruction in contemporary times, but more fundamentally it is a failure of the human conscience. It could very well be that the phenomenal levels to which violence and war have been unleashed today have had the effect of deadening consciences. This is a matter for urgent study and wide discussion.

Features

Vesak celebrations … with Cuteefly

Published

8 hours ago

2026/05/28

Sahan Weerasooriya

Perfect for celebrations, gifts, and meaningful occasions // Gift pack

I would describe Indunil Kaushalya Dissanayaka as innovative and creative, and she operates under the name of Cuteefly.

Indunil always comes up with something novel to celebrate special occasions, and she does it with candles … and that’s her profession.

She was in the spotlight when she created a happening scene, with candles, for Christmas, Sinhala and Tamil New Year, and Valentine’s Day.

As lanterns light up Sri Lanka for Vesak, the Colombo-based candle maker is quietly turning wax and wick into little pieces of the festival.

Candles reflecting Vesak themes

Her candles reflect Vesak themes – light, peace, remembrance, giving, etc., to enable you to fill your Vesak celebration with devotion and beauty.

Among her Vesak creations is a lotus-shaped soy candle, scented with sandalwood, lavender, etc., meant to burn during this Vesak Poya Day.

Indunil Kaushalya Dissanayaka: Customers
praise her for her creativity

These handcrafted Vesak candles are perfect for offering at the temple, she says.

What makes her creations so novel is that they come in different shapes, scents, themes, and all are handmade.

What’s more, her customers have heaped praise on her for her creativity.

According to Indunil, her creations are perfect as a thoughtful gift … to bring beauty, unity, and light into every moment.

Says Indunil: “Our beautifully handcrafted Unity candles are designed with premium detail and love, making them perfect for celebrations, gifts, and meaningful occasions.”

Cuteefly, says Indunil, is available online.

Readers could contact Indunil on 0778506066 for more details.

He Facebook Page is: Cuteefly.

Handmade with love

Features

Dark Spots …

Published

8 hours ago

2026/05/28

Sahan Weerasooriya

Yes, dark spots do crop up on the skin, especially with sun exposure and, of course, as the skin ages.

However, these tips should be of immense benefit to those who are faced with dark spots.

* Lemon and Honey Glow Mask:

You will need 01 teaspoon lemon juice and 01 teaspoon honey.

Mix the lemon juice and honey well and then apply this mixture, only on the dark spots.

Leave for 10–15 minutes and then rinse with cool water.

Benefits:

Lemon helps brighten pigmentation.

Honey moisturises and heals skin.

Gives a natural glow.

* Aloe Vera Gel Treatment:

All you need is fresh aloe vera gel.

Apply the gel apply on dark spots, before going to bed.

Leave overnight and wash in the morning.

Benefits:

Reduces acne marks and pigmentation.

Soothes irritated skin.

Helps skin repair naturally.

* Turmeric and Yoghurt Paste:

You will need 01 teaspoon yoghurt and a pinch of turmeric

Mix the yoghurt and turmeric into a smooth paste and apply on affected areas.

Leave for 15 minutes and then wash gently with lukewarm water.

Benefits:

Turmeric brightens skin naturally.

Yoghurt removes dead skin cells.

Helps fade dark spots gradually.

Use these packs 02-03 times a week as results are generally seen over time.

You can also try this out: Mix a ripe papaya into a smooth paste and apply to the face, or directly on to the dark spots. Leave for 15-20 minutes and then wash with lukewarm water.