Omicron has mutations detected in previous variants and that is the main reason why it is less severe among the vaccinated people. There are more than 2,00,000 genomes of SARS-COV-2 and other human coronaviruses.
omicron corroborates our study. Only one was known out of 35 mutations in the variant’s spike protein used by SARS-COV-2 to bind to a specific receptor when infecting human cells. 25 were in receptor binding domain 15 and receptor binding motif 10, regions of the virus that bind to human cells and are therefore potential targets for neutralizing antibodies.
Vaccines don’t prevent transmission, but they prevent severe cases and deaths. In the study posted to the preprint platform, Duraes-Carvahlo and team analysed the dynamics of viral dissemination and evolution over time in Brazil, the US, and India for the period between February and August 2021. As per the analysis, an increase in the number of mutation sites in the viral genome, above all in the spike protein, convergent evolution.
This means that different variants undergo identical mutations that confer advantages such as evading the host’s immune system or binding more efficiently to human cells. More spike protein mutations were observed with the spread of the Delta variant.
However, one can be protected from the severity of virus for about 10 years.