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Omicron’s molecular structure could help explain its global takeover

Multiple studies are revealing why the SARS-CoV-2 variant is so transmissible, but also seems to cause milder disease.
  1. Diana Kwon
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After it was first detected in South Africa last November, Omicron spread around the globe faster than any previous variant of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, readily infecting even those who had been vaccinated or previously had COVID-19. To learn how it was able to do this, scientists have turned to techniques such as cryo-electron microscopy, to visualize Omicron’s molecular structure at near-atomic resolution.

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Nature 602, 373-374 (2022)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-00292-3

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