Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 imposes a new challenge for the global public health

Zepeng Xu; Kefang Liu; George F Gao

doi:10.1016/j.bsheal.2022.01.002

Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 imposes a new challenge for the global public health

Biosaf Health. 2022 Jun;4(3):147-149. doi: 10.1016/j.bsheal.2022.01.002. Epub 2022 Jan 19.

Authors

Zepeng Xu^{1

2}, Kefang Liu¹, George F Gao¹

Affiliations

¹ CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing 100101, China.
² Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR 999078, China.

Abstract

Since its first discovery, the Omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has evoked another wave of infection and caused global concern and panic. Moreover, although the data are still limited, Omicron showed highly concerning characteristics, including higher transmissibility, extensive immune escape and potentially altered host range. We interpreted these characteristics based on currently available data and outlined some urgent questions, calling for a more comprehensive investigation.

Keywords: Immune escape; Interspecies transmission; Omicron strain; SARS-CoV-2.

Publication types

Editorial