Will Omicron overtake Delta? Experts weigh in

Will Omicron, first detected in South Africa last month, overtake Delta as the predominant variant of SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19?

- Durgesh Nandan Jha

New Delhi: This concern has gripped public health specialists, as sporadic cases of the new, highly mutated variant begin to appear in various countries, including India.

Dr N K Mehra, an honorary emeritus scientist of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), told TOI that information available so far suggests that Omicron is more transmissible and, therefore, it has the potential to replace Delta as the predominant variant.

“In South Africa, the Alpha variant was predominant initially but was overtaken by Delta. And now, 70% of all Covid-19 cases are being caused by the Omicron variant,” he added.

Dr Mehra, however, clarified that it is too early to assess the impact Omicron may have on the course of the pandemic in India.