Omicron survives longer on plastic, skin than previous variants; Nose tap found better for fast tests

Omicron lasts longer on plastic and skin

Omicron variants can last longer than the previous Coronavirus version on the surface of plastic and human skin, Japanese researchers are found in laboratory tests.

His "environmental stability" high - his ability to remain infectious - could have helped Omicron to replace Delta as a dominant variant and to spread quickly, "he said. On plastic surfaces, average survival times of the original constraint and the alpha, beta and gamma and delta variants were 56 hours, 191.3 hours, 156.6 hours, 59 , 3 hours and 114.0 hours, respectively. Given 193.5 hours for Ocalon, researchers reported on BiorXIV prior to peer review. On the samples of the skin of the frame, the average survival times of the viruses were 8.6 hours. The original version, 19.6 hours for Alpha, 19.1 hours for beta, 11.0 hours gamma, 16.8 hours for Delta and 21.1 hours for Oickon.

On the skin, all variants were completely inactivated with 15 seconds of exposure to alcohol-based hand disinfectants. "As a result," researchers conclude ", it is strongly recommended that current infection control practices (hand hygiene) use disinfectants ... as proposed by the World Health Organization."

Nose Swabbing best for fast antigen tests

Fast antigen test users to detect COVID-19 should turn off their nostrils as indicated by the manufacturer and do not Swab the throat or cheek instead, new search shows.

Earlier this month, with an accounting of Omicron representing almost all coronavirus infections in San Francisco, the researchers performed PCR and Abbott laboratories (ABT.N) Bayaxnow Rapid Antigen Test on 731 people who require COVID-19 tests. Nasal Thabbing "has detected more than 95% of people with the highest level of virus that are most likely contagious," Dr. Diane Havlir from the University of California, San Francisco. In 115 volunteers with positive PCR tests, his team compared the BIGYAXNOW results using ash nose and throat samples obtained by trained professionals. The throat swabs have detected nearly 40% less cases than nose swabs, they reported on Medrxiv before the peer review. A separate study of Spain, also displayed on Medrxiv, revealed that the swab of the cheek is also much less reliable than Narine Taping to detect an infectious virus. Recent studies had suggested that Omicron be detectable earlier in the throat that in the nose, which led some experts to inform users to stretch the throat, although American food and drugs maintain the tests are used as indicated.

"These data focuses on binaxnow nasal buffers as shown on the package," Havlir said. "Repeating fast tests is recommended for those with rapid tests and symptoms of negative BilaxNow, or an exhibition" to an infected person.

Long-term care facilities strike less hard by Omicron

Even highly vulnerable residents of long-term care facilities usually have a less severe Omicron disease than earlier versions of coronavirus, according to new data.

Researchers in England compared hospitalization rates in residents of 333 facilities before and after the Omicron variant became dominant. Among 398 residents infected before the emergence of Omicron, 10.8% require a required hospitalization, compared to 4% of 1,211 infected by Omicron. The average age of infected residents was 85 years old. After counteracting other risk factors, the chances of hospitalization were 50% lower for infected patients in the Omicron period, researchers said on Sunday on Medrxiv before peer review. While most residents of the institution had been vaccinated and about 10% had been infected previously, reducing the relative risk of hospitalization between periods of pre-omicron and Omicron was the largest among patients infected with Omicron having received doses of strengthening vaccines at 77%. The researchers also saw fewer CVIV-19 deaths in the Omicron period, although they said it was too early to draw firm conclusions on the effect of the mortality variant.

"Overall," they conclude, "the severity of the severity of high vaccination and an earlier natural infection may be supposed to significantly limit the impact of the current wave of OMICRON infections on hospitalizations and deaths in residents. Long-term care facilities ".