Be alert, these are 5 ways of transmitting Omicron according to experts


 The World Health Organization said the spread of Omicron was caused by a combination of factors, including increased variants of COVID-19 and increased activity involving crowds.

Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead for COVID-19 at WHO, said people need to think about reducing their exposure to the virus and controlling transmission, especially now that the number of new cases is increasing.


Virus mutation

Van Kerkhove says Omicron transmits very efficiently between people for a number of reasons. First, the mutation makes it easier for the virus to attach to human cells.



"Secondly, we have what is called immune escape. This means that people can be reinfected either, if they have been infected before, or if they have been vaccinated," he was quoted as saying by NDTV.


"Another reason is that we see Omicron replication in the upper respiratory tract, and that it differs from Delta and other variants, including ancestral strains that replicated in the lower respiratory tract, in the lungs," Van Kerkhove explained.


Busy place

In addition to these factors, the spread of the virus is also driven by an increase in people who are now starting to dare to go to crowded places and do not comply with preventive measures such as physical distancing.


"The general public out there, all you have to worry about is reducing your exposure to the virus. We want people to understand and feel empowered that they have control over the infection," he said.


A total of 9.5 million new COVID-19 cases were reported to the WHO last week. This is a record, up 71% over the previous week.


Gather with lots of people

There is one scenario that must be avoided in the midst of the spread of the Omicron variant, which is gathering with many people in one room. Because, when you are in a room with many people with uncertain vaccination status, the chances of contracting COVID-19 increase significantly.


"What to avoid is places where you're with 20, 30, 40, 50 people in the same room, many of whom you don't know whether they're vaccinated or protected," said US infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci.


Wrong wearing a mask

So far, many health experts say that cloth masks do not adequately protect against exposure to the highly contagious Omicron.


"Masks can help, but only if you use a high-quality mask like N95, KN95 or KF94," said epidemiologist Dr Michael Osterholm as quoted by Eat This.


According to him, high-quality masks are now widely available in the market, but you must still be careful not to buy fake masks.


Traveling abroad

Some experts also advise people around the world to postpone non-urgent travel, especially if abroad. According to the Chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California, Dr. Robert Wachter, being infected with the Omicron variant in a foreign country will be very inconvenient in terms of bureaucracy to be able to return to the country of origin.


If you have to leave for a very important business, wear a high-quality mask at all times at the airport and on the plane, choose window seats and business class if possible, and take the last flight to avoid crowds.

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