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The coronavirus can seriously damage the lung tissue, as these computed tomography images of the lungs of a Covid 19 patient at the Stuttgart Clinic show
Photo: Sebastian Gollnow / dpa
According to all that is known so far, diseases with the omicron variant of the coronavirus are somewhat milder than was the case with previous virus types.
One reason for this could be that many people in the countries that have so far been particularly affected have already recovered or have been vaccinated and thus have immune protection.
However, the phenomenon could also be due to special properties of the new variant.
Initial studies by specialists from Hong Kong provide evidence that Omikron is likely to spread less rapidly in the lungs than earlier forms of the coronavirus.
Slower replication in the lungs
In the bronchi, the finely branched tube system that directs the air you breathe into the lungs, Omikron reproduces 70 times faster than the delta variant that is currently dominant in Germany.
That could explain why the mutant is apparently much more contagious.
From the respiratory tract it is likely to get into the environment in large numbers, where it may meet new hosts.
In the lung tissue, on the other hand, Omikron replicates ten times more slowly than the original version of the coronavirus.
The various tissues were examined 24 hours and 48 hours after infection with Omikron.
It is possible - but not yet confirmed with certainty - that this circumstance could contribute to somewhat less serious illnesses.
However, the severity of a disease does not only depend on the speed at which a virus replicates.
It is also crucial, for example, how effectively the immune system combats the pathogen.
The results are also based on "ex vivo" tests, the experts explain in a communication from the medical faculty of the University of Hong Kong. This means that living biological tissue is removed and examined under laboratory conditions. Replication under real conditions has not been explored. The research is currently being examined by experts with a view to publication.
"The overall threat posed by Omikron is probably very great"
The team from Hong Kong points out that Omikron is a problem even if infections actually lead to somewhat milder courses: »A very infectious virus that infects many people can lead to more serious illnesses and death, even if the virus itself is less pathogenic, ”says Michael Chan Chi-wai, professor at the School of Public Health at the University of Hong Kong and head of the research group, according to the announcement.
"Together with our most recent studies, which show that the omicron variant can partially escape immunity from vaccines and previous infections, the overall threat posed by the omicron variant is therefore likely to be very great," the researcher continued.
more on the subject
Searching for the Origin of the Mutant: The Omicron PuzzleBy Julia Merlot
Current case numbers for the Omikron variant from Great Britain are worrying experts.
In Great Britain, for example, the number of infections is currently rising dramatically.
Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach distributed a graphic on Twitter.
You can see two diagrams with data from the British capital London, one on the development of the number of cases, one on hospitalization.
In both cases the direction of the curves is clearly upwards.
Experts believe that the number of Omicron cases in the UK could double about every other day at the moment.
Lauterbach wrote: "In a country like Germany the many unvaccinated people would be at risk."
more on the subject
New findings on the corona variant: How Omikron is rolling over Europe by Rafaela von Bredow and Veronika Hackenbroch
RKI President Wieler on the corona situation: »The fifth wave will come« A SPIEGEL conversation by Detlef Hacke and Heike Le Ker
According to a report in the British newspaper "The Guardian", Chris Whitty, Great Britain's chief health advisor, warned that the number of daily hospital admissions with Covid-19 diseases could soon exceed the high from last winter.
According to the report, 88,376 new corona cases were reported in Great Britain on Thursday - the highest value since the pandemic began.
More than 11,700 of these infections could be traced back to Omikron.
