Since the discovery of the new coronavirus (covid-19), - the Wuhan Health Commission in China formally informed the World Health Organization (WHO) on December 31, 2019 - health officials have identified several mutations of the viral agent.
In this regard the WHO had listed five variants, namely Alpha (UK), Beta (South Africa), Gamma (Brazil), Delta and Capa (India), until November 25, 2021, when the WHO announced the existence of a "sixth version", the "Omicron" first identified in South Africa. And, considering the nomenclature of the Greek alphabet (alpha, A/α; beta, Β/β; gamma, Γ/γ; delta, Δ/δ; Kappa, Κ/κ;) in the identification of mutations, we would already be at the 15th variant of the coronavirus, since, Ómikron (O/ο) is the number fifteen letter of the Greek alphabet, and the others are between the first and the fifth letter.
Regarding the Omicron variant, there is no reason yet to make a fuss, i.e. label it as worrisome. The assurance comes from a doctor who helped discover the new variant.
According to the President of the South African Medical Association (SAMA), Angelique Coetzee, the symptoms caused by the Omicron variant are "very mild," there is no loss of smell or taste. And, among the patients who contracted the virus none of them needed to be hospitalized and they recovered from the disease.
Nevertheless, Coetzee warns that more precise data on the consequences of the virus in humans will become available in the next two weeks, "but for now this is what we observe."
In fact, whenever the virus multiplies in the human body, there is a huge possibility that a new variant will emerge
In an interview with AFP this Sunday (28) the doctor said that in the last ten days she has examined about 30 patients who tested positive for the coronavirus but had unusual symptoms.
"They came for appointments because they were extremely tired," he said, adding that this is unusual in younger patients. Most of those infected were men under the age of 40, and less than half of them had already been vaccinated.
Other symptoms identified in this group of people were mild muscle pain, an "itchy throat" and a dry cough, with no loss of smell or taste. Only a few had a slightly elevated temperature.
In fact, whenever the virus multiplies in the human body there is a huge possibility of a new variant emerging. However, among the new versions of the coronavirus there were those that deserved greater prominence, for presenting a higher rate of transmissibility and resistance to acquired immunity (via vaccine or natural infection), as well as having more severe effects.
On November 25, South African researchers announced that they had identified variant B.1.1.529, dubbed, the next day "omicron" by the WHO. The variant is believed to have multiple mutations and to be highly contagious.