Evolution of SARS-CoV-2; The Omicron Variant and its Considerations, A Mini Review

Abstract

Since the beginning of detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in 2019, many genetic evolutions of this virus have been reported. The most recent variant that caused the fourth wave of Covid-19 infection worldwide, Omicron, has shown various mutations at its receptor binding domain therefore inducing changes in behavior compared to previous variants. According to published data, major genetic mutations, differences in clinical severity and also resistance to prevention and treatment strategies have been observed. Lower rates of disease severity, hospital and intensive care unit admissions, younger age of contamination with progression to severe disease, resistance to 2 dose vaccination, risk of re-infection and resistance to monoclonal antibodies have been some of the many differences in the recent variant of concern. In the following article some considerations and modifications of the Omicron variant with regard to its general characteristics and treatment will be discussed. Please cite this article as: Dena Firouzabadi. Evolution of SARS-CoV-2; The Omicron Variant and its Considerations, A Mini Review. Trends in Pharmaceutical Sciences. 2022;8(2):119-126. doi: 10.30476/TIPS.2022.95341.1144

Keywords

• omicron
• sars-cov-2
• sever acute respiratory syndrome
• variant of concern