The Aou of Cagliari sequenced 12 cases of Omicron 2. The first two were sequenced by specialists on 7 March, then immediately doubled, followed by other cases until the last screening which identified eight.
The new variant of the coronavirus, therefore, "is already here", ruled the medical director of Aou Ferdinando Coghe: "In Sardinia we were the first to identify Omicron 2, and this is not an encouraging record".
The mutation, explains Coghe, “is much stronger from a virological point of view than Omicron 1, usually the new variant is faster than the previous one and replaces it. We have seen this in the previous cases and we can see it from the numbers that are rapidly doubling and from the growth also at a national level ".
More contagious, but less lethal? "This news has spread - continues the medical director - but, while admitting that it may be slightly less strong, the difference is not linked to the greater or lesser strength of the variant, but to the fact that 85% of Italians are now vaccinated. In general, in most cases the deaths concern people who have not been vaccinated or who have completed an incomplete cycle ".
Therefore, it is essential to get vaccinated, observes Coghe. It is forbidden to lower your guard and mask: “We must continue to be careful, those who say that the pandemic is over or is ending is very wrong. Keep the masks indoors and continue to behave appropriately to fight the spread of the virus ".
(Unioneonline / L)
