Omicron variant [2021-2022]: A new chapter in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Omicron was first identified in Botswana earlier in November. It was reported to World Health Organization (WHO) from South Africa on November 24, 2021, which was designated as a variant of concern (VOC) on November 26, 2021.The Omicron variant is thought to be at least three times more infectious than the original SARS-CoV-2 and possibly more so than the delta variant. Omicron contains a large number of mutations that were previously reported in other VOCs including at least 32 mutations in the spike protein alone compared to the 16 mutations in the already highly infectious delta variant. europe’s first case of the variant was confirmed in Belgium on 26 November in a person who tested positive for covid-19 on 22 November. By 29 November cases had been reported in the Netherlands, France, Germany, Portugal, and Italy. The UK had recorded nine cases by the morning of 29 November, six of them in Scotland. According to Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), a 37-year-old man, who landed in Mumbai from South Africa on November 25, was found infected with Omicron along with one of his contacts - a 36-year-old female friend who arrived in the city from the US the same day.