The Chairman of Cairo Association against Smoking, Tuberculosis and Lung diseases consultant Essam Elmoghazy said on Tuesday that the Omicron coronavirus strain is very severe and almost unrecognizable from the virus that first appeared in Wuhan. In statements to the Extra News satellite channel on Tuesday, Elmoghazy was unable to confirm whether a PCR swab is able to distinguish between Omicron and COVID-19, and whether currently available vaccines are effective in combating the Omicron mutant. An Immune and Allergy consultant at VACSERA Amjad al-Haddad revealed that groups most vulnerable to infection with the new mutation likely include age groups far younger than in previous strains. He explained that so far, the symptoms of the Omicron mutant are the same as those of Delta and Delta Plus mutant, with the biggest risk being immune escape. Haddad stressed that so far the mutated variant is under study according to the World Health Organization to ascertain the position of vaccines on it and whether they have strong, medium or no effectiveness in combating it.
