Preliminary laboratory data hint at what makes Omicron the most superspreading variant yet
Omicron is now in 77 countries, and moving faster than any previous strain of the coronavirus. In the U.K., where Omicron cases are doubling every two days, scientists believe it is behind this week’s record-setting surge in new infections. The new variant is already causing about 13% of cases in New York and Washington states, just two weeks after Omicron was first detected in the U.S. Nationwide, it is hovering around 3% of total cases, but Omicron is rapidly eating into Delta’s dominance. And with insufficient testing and lag times in sequencing, it has likely gained even more ground than these numbers indicate.
But what exactly gives Omicron its competitive advantage has so far been unclear. Preliminary data, announced via press release Wednesday, which provide a first look at how Omicron may behave inside the human body, offers a clue to what might be behind its superspreading powers: more virus in people’s airways, which could mean more virus in the air.
