The Medical Sciences Branch organized a scientific symposium entitled “Molecular comparison of the emerging coronavirus with the omicron mutant” in which Assistant Professor Dr. Haider Hamid Mutaib and Assistant Professor Hussein Ali Khayoun lectured.
Where it was presented by Dr. The comparative structure of the genetic sequence accompanying the new mutant that occupied the world and which is characterized by its rapid spread compared to both COVID_19 and which differs from it by its simple genetic sequence. The lecturer also mentioned that the new mutant Omicron is twice as fast as its predecessors of the same strain, but its symptoms are less severe due to its loss of the S-genes responsible for adhesion proteins, and therefore less specificity regarding the virus receptors. For his part, Dr. Khyun presented the comparisons between the different types of vaccines approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the method of manufacture and how they stimulate the immune system, and explained that the mechanism of vaccines is an integral part of the composition of the virus itself, but in its ineffective form.
At the end of the symposium, the two lecturers stressed the importance of taking vaccinations, as they represent an important factor in reducing the development of viruses, including mutants that may be produced in the future, and the need to continue to adhere to personal prevention measures such as hand washing, social distancing and wearing masks.