The case of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus Omikron mutation in two vaccinated hotel guests caused concern among scientists. The mutant virus spread in the corridor of a quarantined Hong Kong hotel, and surveillance footage confirmed that the individuals had no contact with each other, yet were infected.
- Cases of infection among two vaccinated hotel guests alarmed the researchers
- The situation was exceptional because these guests had no contact with each other, which was confirmed by the camera recordings
- They were in quarantine in rooms on both sides of the corridor
- Omikron is of interest to specialists all over the world, and its specificity is still being researched
- You can find more such stories on the TvoiLokony home page
CCTV footage from a Hong Kong hotel showed that neither of these people left their room or had contact with another infected person. Enough route for the virus to open the door to the rooms at the time of transferring meals or collecting material for testing a quarantined person. Infected guests were fully vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Haogao Gu and his colleagues at the University of Hong Kong published an article on the subject in the American journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. In it, they expressed concerns about the ease with which the latest mutation of the coronavirus spreads.
«We report a detection of the Omikron Coronavirus variant (B.1.1.529) in a fully vaccinated traveler in a Hong Kong quarantine hotel. The Omikron variant was also detected in a second fully vaccinated traveler in a room across the corridor, suggesting transmission despite strict precautionary measures during quarantine, the researchers write in the paper. “The detection of the transmission of the Omikron variant between these hotel guests highlighted the problem with the Omikron,” they add.
We recommend: The Omikron mutation «possibly the worst COVID-19 variant detected». Why?
Omicron is of concern to specialists as a surprisingly high number of mutations have been identified in the viral protein. About 450 scientists around the world have started research to understand the extent to which Omicron mutations can affect the effectiveness of available vaccines and the development of a global pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced.
In recent weeks, many countries around the world have already detected infections caused by Omicron. Although, so far, Omikron has not been noticed to cause other symptoms or cause a more severe course of infection compared to other mutations, it still remains an unknown threat, the researchers emphasize.
The editorial board recommends:
- Pfizer, Moderna, J&J, AstraZeneca – are they effective against Omikron?
- Where did Omikron come from? Scientists had a big surprise
- How to control the Omicron? Here are the most effective methods
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