Will omicron – the new coronavirus variant of concern – be more contagious than delta? A virus evolution expert explains what researchers know and what they don’t
- Written by: Suresh V. Kuchipudi, Professor of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Penn State
The omicron variant possesses numerous mutations in the spike protein, the knob-like protrusions (in red) that allow the virus to invade other cells.Juan Gaertner/Science Photo Library via Getty ImagesA new variant named omicron (B.1.1.529) was reported by researchers in South Africa on Nov. 24, 2021, and designated a “variant of...