"Omicron May Prevent Delta Reinfection"... Could This Signal the 'Common Cold' Phase of COVID-19?

"Omicron Infections May Enhance Delta Neutralizing Antibodies"
Lower Severity but Higher Infectivity than Delta... 'Toxicity' May Weaken
Possibility of COVID-19 Becoming Like a Common Cold
However, Experts Warn Against Premature Optimism
Health Authorities: "Rapid Spread... Increased Exposure Risk for High-Risk Groups"

Americans rushing to get tested amid the spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] A cautious optimism is emerging as the theory that 'people infected with the Omicron variant may also develop increased resistance to the Delta variant' has been proposed. This suggests that Omicron, known to be less virulent than Delta, could become the dominant strain in a short period. Some have even argued that the emergence of the Omicron variant might mark the beginning of COVID-19 becoming more like a common cold.

Alex Sigal, a microbiologist running the 'Sigal Lab' at Germany's Max Delbr?ck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC), announced new research findings on the Omicron variant on the 28th (local time).

On the morning of the 29th of last month, an overseas entrant wearing protective clothing is arriving through Incheon International Airport. / Photo by Yonhap News

Sigal gathered patients showing COVID-19 symptoms in South Africa, where Omicron has already become the dominant strain, and monitored changes in neutralizing antibodies from the onset of symptoms to 14 days after symptom onset. Neutralizing antibodies are those that defend cells by neutralizing the effects of pathogens such as viruses when they invade the body.

As a result, neutralizing antibodies in people infected with Omicron increased nearly 14-fold against the Omicron variant virus. But that’s not all. Those infected with Omicron also showed about a 4.4-fold increase in neutralizing antibodies against the Delta variant virus.

Regarding this, Sigal explained, "Looking at the current South African research results, this characteristic of Omicron will help push out Delta because people infected with Omicron should have a lower chance of being reinfected with Delta."

He added, "If these results are true, the disruption COVID-19 has caused in our lives may decrease going forward."

The Omicron variant spreads much faster than the Delta variant but is expected to cause less severe illness. The photo shows a model of the coronavirus. / Photo by Yonhap News

Previous studies from South Africa, Scotland, the UK, and other countries suggest that Omicron is more transmissible than Delta but appears to cause less severe illness.

In this context, Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in an interview with 'ABC News' on the 26th, "It appears that (the Omicron variant) causes less severe disease. I’m pleased with the evidence coming from various countries, but we must be cautious not to become complacent."

If Omicron can suppress reinfection by Delta, it will quickly become the dominant COVID-19 strain. Moreover, if it causes less severe illness than Delta, the probability of severe and critical COVID-19 cases will further decrease. This could open the path toward COVID-19 becoming 'weakened.'

Meanwhile, there are claims that the emergence of the Omicron variant could be the starting point for COVID-19 becoming more like a common cold. On the 26th, the UK media outlet 'The Guardian' reported that "COVID-19 may become more transmissible but less virulent."

On the same day, Professor Julian Tang of the University of Leicester in the UK told the media, "This variant (Omicron) may be the first step in the virus adapting to humans by causing milder symptoms. It is advantageous for the virus to affect people in a way that doesn’t make them too sick because then people continue to move around, mingle in society, and spread more virus."

Park Hyang, Head of the Central Quarantine Task Force at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, is holding a regular briefing on COVID-19 response at the Government Sejong Complex on the 28th. / Photo by Yonhap News

However, there are voices expressing concern about premature optimism. Considering Omicron’s rapid spread, the number of severe and critical patients could actually increase.

At a regular briefing on the 28th, Park Hyang, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters’ quarantine team, responded to reporters’ questions about the possibility that "COVID-19 could degrade to the level of a common cold due to Omicron’s spread" by saying, "It is still difficult to make a definitive judgment."

He pointed out, "Looking at cases in South Africa and elsewhere, the severity of Omicron is generally considered to be lower than Delta. However, because the spread is so rapid, the number of confirmed cases could increase sharply. A rapid increase in confirmed cases means that the number of infections in high-risk groups will also rise."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.