Analysis
Opinion

Will Omicron Be More Contagious Than Delta? A Virus Evolution Expert Explains What Researchers Know and What They Don’t

Will Omicron Be More Contagious Than Delta? A Virus Evolution Expert Explains What Researchers Know and What They Don’t
A new study in 2022 found that a neutrophil-associated cationic protein contained in saliva can prevent Covid-19 infection. This image shows a 3D print of a spike protein of SARS-CoV-2—the virus that causes COVID-19—in front of a 3D print of a SARS-CoV-2 virus particle. Courtesy of NIAID/RML
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Commentary
A new variant named omicron (B.1.1.529) was reported by researchers in South Africa on Nov. 24, 2021, and designated a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization two days later. Omicron is very unusual in that it is by far the most heavily mutated variant yet of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.