SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain exhibits potent capabilities for immune evasion and viral entrance

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron strain (as known as B.1.1.529) was identified in Botswana and South Africa in early November 2021 and was later defined as a new variant of concern (VOC) by the World Health Organization on November 26, 2021. 1 , 2 To date, the confirmed cases of Omicron have been reported in more than 38 countries, and the number of cases appears to be rapidly increasing. SARS-CoV-2 Omicron could give rise to the fourth wave of the COVID-19 epidemic spreading around the world, following the D614G, Beta/Gamma, and Delta VOCs. Here, we showed Omicron variant causes serious immune escape from the convalescent sera from COVID-19 patients, still needs angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as its receptor and exhibits a significantly increased infectivity. These substantial lines of evidence should attract broad attention to monitor its epidemic and accelerate the development of Omicron-targeted vaccines and therapeutic antibodies.