Omicron vs Delta: battle of coronavirus mutants is critical
- Early data suggests the new variant could outcompete other strains to become the dominant one, though many critical questions remain unanswered
- Omicron’s behaviour in countries like South Africa and the UK could offer clues to whether it will replace Delta and shape the future of the Covid-19 pandemic
As the Omicron coronavirus variant spreads in southern Africa and pops up in countries all around the world, scientists are anxiously watching a battle play out that could determine the future of the pandemic. Can the latest competitor to the world-dominating Delta overthrow it?
Some scientists, poring over data from South Africa and the United Kingdom, suggest Omicron could emerge the victor.
“It’s still early days, but increasingly, data is starting to trickle in, suggesting that Omicron is likely to outcompete Delta in many, if not all, places,” said Dr Jacob Lemieux, who monitors variants for a research collaboration led by Harvard Medical School.
But others said on Monday it is too soon to know how likely it is that Omicron will spread more efficiently than Delta, or, if it does, how fast it might take over.
“Especially here in the US, where we’re seeing significant surges in Delta, whether Omicron’s going to replace it I think we’ll know in about two weeks,” said Matthew Binnicker, director of clinical virology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.