Spotlights on the latest opinions on identification, prevention, and management of newer CoV-2 variants: A roundup appraisal on innovative ideas and designer vaccines for Omicron

Although mass vaccination combined with some other preventative strategies and lockdown was associated with some early signs that COVID-19 infection might be fading away, the over 35 sites mutated new South African variant, "Omicron", emerged almost globally. Certain predisposed hosts may develop severe inflammatory thrombotic or mild long-Covid conditions due to this variant, which depletes T-cells, neutralizes antibodies circulating in the body, and coincidentally induces hypercoagulability. The surge of Omicron combined with Delta variants may confer unresponsiveness to the currently available vaccines even when the second dose is given up to 90 days. A drop in the antibody levels by 30 % has been identified in omicron-infected individuals, and one in five people is resistant to antibody treatment. This poses major concerns in the transmissibility rate of this new variant, even in a heavy mass vaccinated environment. This heavily mutated Omicron with other spike sites facilitates viral entry into the cells through conformational changes, irrespective of circulating neutralising antibody. Based on this consideration, we believe that speeding up mixed-matched vaccines with higher T-cell stimulation ability may improve the current situation. Moreover, large orders for antiviral drugs and monoclonal antibodies that could tackle Omicron combined with other variants may be valuable. The use of free polyclonal antibody donations and, hopefully, T-cell immunotherapy, may represent further breakthrough therapeutic interventions. However, Omicron infection is relatively milder than the ongoing Delta variant but is extremely contagious, and therefore the development of novel interventions is highly demanding.