Newly shared preliminary data suggests that the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 may target and infect tissues within the respiratory tract at different rates than do the Delta variant and other predecessors. In fact, some experts say, the Omicron variant may owe its enhanced transmissibility to its facility for infecting bronchial tissue far more than the lungs.
Findings from the research, which hasn’t yet undergone peer review, were shared online in a University of Hong Kong news release on Wednesday (December 15). In lung tissue taken from a human patient, the researchers found that the Omicron variant replicated roughly 70 times more in the bronchial tissue that makes up tubes leading into the lungs than did the Delta variant after 24 hours. However, Omicron variant replicated more than 10 times slower in lung tissue than the original coronavirus variant. It’s difficult to extrapolate clinical outcomes from this type of lab-based research, ...
