Omicron more transmissible, could escape immunity: Dr Gagandeep Kang | Exclusive

With the World Health Organization (WHO) designating the B.1.1529 variant of coronavirus as a 'variant of concern,' India's top microbiologist and virologist, Gagandeep Kang, told India Today that the new Covid strain could be more transmissible and immune-evasive.

She also stated that the new variant, dubbed 'Omicron' by WHO, could be more transmissible and has the potential to spread to many other countries.

"We've had a good sense of the sequence data since the first identification on November 9," she said.

"Unlike the previously observed constellations, we know that this is a mutant strain. So there's a chance it'll spread more easily, and there's also a chance it'll be able to evade immune responses," Dr Kang added.