Covid 4th Wave: Know the difference between Stealth Omicron, Omicron, Delta variants

With Covid-19 cases rising in China, Europe and the US, experts have suggested that it won’t be long when India will also soon witness the fourth wave.

Apart from this, another looming cause of concern is the new variant of coronavirus called ‘stealth Omicron’. This virus has originated from Omicron itself that was the cause of the third wave in India and across the world.

The ‘Stealth Omicron’, scientifically known as BA.2 Omicron variant is a sub-variant of Omicron that is also suspected to be a major cause of rising covid cases in China, South Korea and European countries. The variant is scientifically denoted as BA.2 Omicron variant.

Here’s the difference between stealth Omicron and Delta, Omicron:

The ‘Stealth Omicron’ is a highly transmissible variant since it comes from the ‘Omicron’ variant that caused havoc during the third wave in India. However, this new variant is even more difficult to detect in PCR tests than other variants.

As per the World Health Organisation (WHO), the stealth Omicron variant attacks the upper respiratory tract. This makes it different from Delta, as the latter attacks the lungs and the Omicron variant has little to no effect on the respiratory system.

With the threat of the fourth wave hanging above our heads, scientists and experts are concerned that the stealth Omicron variant can bring more chaos since it’s harder to detect, it might spread faster and with more intensity from the previous variants.

On the other hand, it is speculated that the stealth Omicron infection is bound to make your immunity stronger, as compared to Delta and Omicron infections.

Experts have determined that the fourth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic is expected to reach its peak in June or July, and is likely to stay till the end of October.