Possible Psychological Consequences in Public of Omicron Variant (B. 1.1. 529) of SARS-CoV-2 Identification in Iran

Abstract

For the first, Omicron variants (B. 1.1. 529) of SARS-CoV-2 emerged in Botswana and South Africa, which probably compromised vaccine effectiveness and the protective capability of antibodies released via infection of former variants. A study confirmed live Omicron virus still required ACE2 to infect human cells. Public concerns were raised due to abundant mutations in the spike protein and elsewhere on the Omicron variant resulting in an escape from vaccine-elicited immunity. Besides that, multiple mutations in the receptor-binding domain and S2 affect the affinity of viruses for human ACE2 and transmissibility (1). Shortly after introducing this variant, it was identified in different countries of Europe, Asia, and other parts of the world. Some centuries such as Japan and Israel, quickly closed their borders to foreign travelers due to fear of this deadly virus. To slow the spread of the variant, the UK government re-enforced the use of the mask in schools, public transport, and shops and quarantined all travelers and people in contact with an Omicron patient for 10 days. © 2022. This is an original open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-noncommercial 4.0 International License which permits copy and redistribution of the material just in noncommercial usages with proper citation.