New Corona variant
Speculation about a mild course of the disease at Omikron – why it is still too early for that
Passengers wait at a ticket counter at OR Tambo Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa
© Jerome Delay / AP / DPA
More and more countries are reporting cases with the Omikron virus variant. At the same time, reports are circulating in which there is talk of mild disease courses. But experts warn against premature hope.
Italy, Israel, Denmark, Canada and Portugal: more and more countries report the first cases with the Corona variant Omikron, mostly for those returning from South Africa. So far, five cases with the novel mutant have been confirmed in Germany, and at least two other suspected cases are being investigated.
Researchers are watching the spread of the mutant with concern. Due to numerous mutations, it is suspected of being able to avoid immune protection after a vaccination better than previous variants. Important data to finally clarify this question are still missing. At the same time, there are reports that give hope, at least at first glance: According to them, Omicron infected people primarily show mild symptoms. However, experts warn against premature hope and point out that there is still too little data to be able to reliably estimate the severity of the disease after an omicron infection.
“Speculation can lead to underestimation of the risk”
Speculations about an allegedly milder course of the disease with Omikron and the theory that viruses “always weaken” are currently “dubious to dangerous,” tweeted the Geneva virologist Isabella Eckerle. She made it clear: “There is currently no such data.” SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach underlined the virologist’s statement: “Unfortunately, that’s true,” Lauterbach also wrote on Twitter. “It doesn’t really look like it will be any easier so far.” He warned: “Speculation can lead to an underestimation of the risk.”
Reports on the subject often refer to a South African doctor from Pretoria who says that when she examined around 30 Omicron patients, she found unusual but only mild symptoms. They suffered from extreme tiredness, slight muscle pain, a scratchy throat and cough. All those affected have recovered without having to go to the hospital. Less than half of them had been vaccinated. The infected were mostly young men under 40 years of age.
Omicron variant: “Too early for serious statements”
General conclusions that omicron infections are mild cannot be drawn from the information. On the one hand, the number of patients examined is small. In addition, those affected were still quite young. It is already known that corona infections are generally milder in younger, healthy people than in older people and those with previous illnesses. In addition, it is to be expected that those infected will also include people who were previously infected with Sars-CoV-2 and who have a certain basic immunity to the virus, which could protect them from severe courses. It is believed that the coronavirus was able to spread strongly in large parts of Africa in previous waves.
According to the virologist Isabella Eckerle, current reports on the course of Omikron disease in people returning from travel are also of little informative value. They are people who are actively sought out and tested and who do not even necessarily have symptoms. That is “not representative”, so the expert.
A follower wanted to know whether speculations about allegedly serious disease courses with Omikron were dubious. “Yes, these speculations are currently not substantiated either,” emphasized Eckerle and added: “However, this fear will at least not lead to false hopes and carelessness.”
Everyone was hoping for good news, said the virologist. “But at the moment it’s just too early to make any serious statements.”