Has Omicron shifted receptor binding specificity away from deep lung tissue?

Could this be why it appears that Omicron is less severe than other variants?

HKUMed finds Omicron SARS-CoV-2 can infect faster and better than Delta in human bronchus but with less severe infection in lung

PreRelease of preprint from HKUMed: this paper is currently undergoing peer review

Authors: Dr Michael Chan Chi-wai, John Nicholls, Dr Kenrie Hui Pui-yan, Malik Peiris, Tam Wah-Ching, Professor Leo Poon Lit-man, Professor John…