Virologists have named a possible source of the "hidden year" omicron strain

Scientists have argued about the origin of the omicron strain of CORONAVIRUS. Some argue that it could be formed as a result of mutations in the body of a person with a chronic disease, others that an experimental antiviral drug influenced its origin. An overview of their opinions was published by the Financial Times (FT).

As the publication notes, the genetic traits of "omicron" are more similar to the forms of the virus that circulated last year than to more recent strains such as "beta" and "delta". “He seemed to be in hiding for a year,” suggested Sarah Otto, professor of evolutionary biology at the University of British Columbia.

According to the FT, the most popular opinion among virologists is that "omicron" mutated for months in an immunocompromised person with a chronic infection. “Given that South Africa was facing the first wave of omicron infection, it is likely that this variant has its roots somewhere in this region,” said infectious disease specialist Richard Lessells from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban.

A South African research team that included Lessells found an HIV patient late last year who did not seek treatment for the disease and then contracted covid-19 . Scientists have found that the pathogen was in the body of an HIV-infected person for more than six months, which led to a series of mutations that affected the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that causes COVID-19. A study by British scientists revealed a similar process in a patient with blood cancer, the newspaper reported.