Omicron: What Makes the Latest SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern So Concerning?

• Published in: Journal of virology Vol. 96; no. 6; p. e0207721
• Main Authors: Jung, Christoph, Kmiec, Dorota, Koepke, Lennart, Zech, Fabian, Jacob, Timo, Sparrer, Konstantin M. J., Kirchhoff, Frank
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Society for Microbiology 23.03.2022
• Subjects: COVID-19 - immunology; COVID-19 - virology; Gem; Genome, Viral; Humans; Immune Evasion; Mutation; SARS-CoV-2 - genetics; SARS-CoV-2 - immunology; SARS-CoV-2 - pathogenicity; Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus - metabolism; Virology; COVID-19; Spike; SARS-CoV-2; variants of concern; Omicron; BA.1; BA.2

Emerging strains of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, that show increased transmission fitness and/or immune evasion are classified as “variants of concern” (VOCs). Recently, a SARS-CoV-2 variant fir...