The Omicron coronaviruses variant may be less severe in humans because it attacks lung cells in a different way.
A group of scientists from different universities collaborated on a project. 34 scientists from Scottish and English institutes wrote the second study. Both studies were published in preprint form, which means they have not yet been reviewed by other scientists.
The researchers said that Omicron's numerous changes appear to have changed how it replicates itself in the body.
"Omicron is doing its own thing in many ways, and it's an author on the first study," Gupta told Insider.
The biology of the virus isn't the same as it was before. It's a new thing.
Gupta said that this new evidence supports the idea that Omicron is less dangerous. The virus has been shown to cause less severe disease and death.
Experts are hesitant to accept the findings too quickly, hoping for more conclusive data. Gupta and his colleagues wrote a paper about the difference in severity.
There are two ways to take over the body.
There are two ways the virus can enter a cell.
The shell of the virus can be fused with the human cell. Delta prefers the route called "cell surface fusion" according to Gupta's previous work.
If a cell carries high levels of a molecule called TMPRSS2, it can be used for cell surface fusion.
An annotated schematic of entry routes used by the coronaviruses shows the difference between Omicron and Delta.
They are: Joe Grove/Georgina Brown.
TMPRSS2 is found in large quantities in the lungs, meaning that it can thrive there and cause serious damage to the people it affects.
"That is thought to be one of the main causes of lung infections in people with more severe disease," said Gupta.
Gupta said that Delta's genes mean it is better at having its spike protein snipped.
The lab test results cited in the study on which Gupta is an author show that Omicron's spike protein is very difficult to cut in half. This would make it much more difficult to infecting the lungs.
Omicron's spike protein is better at binding human cells than TMPRSS2 is, which gives it an advantage in cells without it.
Omicron is more suited toinfecting airway cells with endosomal fusion because they have low levels of TMPRSS2. It would be less likely to kill someone if it were more capable of causing infections with mild symptoms.
The schematic shows the location of the bronchus.
The Universal Images Group via the Getty Images.
The lab studies observed that Omicron was replicating faster in airway and bronchial cells than in the lungs.
Real-world data shows that Omicron leads to fewer hospitalizations than Delta in South Africa, the UK and the US.
The results support the idea that the variant is less dangerous than the other theory that vaccination and immunity are the cause of less severe responses.
Gupta said that this is what ties it all together.
Good and bad news.
We probably need to be careful. It is nice to see that this variant is not as severe. Gupta said they don't know how much.
It's not clear if Omicron could cause long-term consequences like long COVID, as was the case in other versions.
It is possible that future variants will be more deadly. He said that the next variant could have combined characteristics, so he doesn't think we can be lulled into a false sense of security.
