I saw omicron coming ...

 ... because I could see SARS-CoV-2, mutating further.

There was a time I was a fully dedicated acolyte of Richard Dawkins.

Even now I am one, only not so dedicated because I see some of my faults in him – for one, I am very shrill in my arguments that makes the other(s) feel empty-upstairs. This puts people off and I end up being given less than half attention. And, it gives rise to a strong reinforcing feedback loop – the more I assert, the less the idea is receptive.

It should have been clear to who ever seeing even the silhouette of SARS-CoV-2 mechanism that the virus is Selfish, in the particular sense that it would do whatever it takes to make copies of itself to some level of fidelity by mutating.

For humans what was important was not how the mutations occurred but what are its effects on human beings. In genes, these are the gene’s phenotypes. When the virus changed its avatars to a mutation here, a mutation there, and also there, WHO, instead of naming them after where the variant was identified first went to a neutral nomenclature, alpha, beta, gamma and delta variants.

In the original scheme of nomenclature, the delta variant must have been India variant. Who did not want to offend India, after how Trump, the former president of the US, weaponized the name by repeatedly calling the original, the China virus.

But, why omicron, the 14^th letter popping up after the fourth? WHO must have had a reason for such jumping the queue.

I read an article in which the authors were perhaps merely musing about omicron not being a variant but a new strain altogether. God forbid.

If one read Richard Dawkins first two books, especially in the reverse order of publication as I did – read The Blind Watchmaker first and then The Selfish Gene – one would find the Ur source of the discussion on omicron’s status in the family of corona viruses.

The omicron variety is more virulent because the people in whom it has taken refuge are not dying. A virus in a dead body has hit the cul-de-sac; not so the one who lets the affected organism survive at whatever level of disability as long as the organism can sneeze.

The above is a straight lift from both the books, though they mention only genes and not viruses that need a host. However, as an acolyte, I am allowed that freedom!

Now, we have a vague idea why omicron, as virulent as it is, may not be as fatal as the original or the delta variant.

Let out a huge sigh of relief, if you had taken the two doses of the vaccine and are primed up for the booster dose.

Raghuram Ekambaram