The Omicron strain has increased its ability to suppress interferon production as a result of infection and to better resist the antiviral action of external exogenous interferon. This may explain the sudden spike in infection with the omicron strain of coronavirus among children.
The results of a new study by German experts have been published on BioRxiv.
According to the scientists, it is the interferon response that plays a leading role in protecting children from infections.
Professor Andrei Prodeus, a researcher at Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, told Izvestia that the new strain of coronavirus is more contagious and is better able to "cling" to receptors on cells. And children, according to the specialist, become a suitable niche for the omicron.
Anatoly Altstein, a virologist at the Gamaleya Center, agreed that the greater danger of infecting children with the new strain is due to its better ability to "cling" to cell receptors.
"Most likely, the greater infectivity of the omicron strain for children compared to the delta is due to the fact that they have fewer receptors on the surface of cells in the respiratory tract," he said.
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