COVZID-19: Omicron likely to outcompete Delta says expert

New Delhi, Dec 01: The Omicron COVID-19 variant in Southern Africa could outcompete delta, an expert has said.

"We thought what will outcompete Delta? That has always been the question, in terms of transmissibility at least, ... perhaps this particular variant is the variant," Adrian Puren, acting executive director of South Africa's National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said in an interview with Reuters.

If this comes true then it could lead to a sharp spike in infections that could put a lot of pressure on hospitals. Puren said that scientists should know within four weeks to what extent Omicron can evade the immunity generated by vaccines or prior infection.

The Omicron is expected to trigger a fourth wave. Puren said it was too early to say whether Omicron was displacing delta in South Africa. This is because local scientists have only produced 87 sequences of Omicron so far.