Omicron update
Posted over 3 years ago by Meredith Roberts
Information about infections, outbreaks early research from South Africa, Sweden and Germany as well as the Pfizer study. Illness severity and contagion are also discussed: Atlantic brief-about-omicron
Thompson, D. (2021, Dec. 9). We know a whole lot more about omicron now. The Atlantic.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/12/everything-about-omicron-cases-vaccines/620956/
The CDC released details of 43 omicron cases in the US. Most people had mild symptoms and were fully vaccinated. Twenty-five US states have reported cases of COVID-19 caused by the omicron variant, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky reported Friday at the White House COVID-19 Response briefing. However, the delta variant remains the dominant variant in the US, responsible for over 99% of COVID-19 cases (which are up 37% from last week), hospitalizations (up 16%) and deaths (28% increase from previous week).... Read more cnet medical brief on omicron-in-the-us-how-the-new-covid-variant-is-different-from-delta/
Rendall, J. (2021, Dec. 10). Omicron in the US: How the new COVID variant will compete with delta. CNet/ Wellness. https://www.cnet.com/health/medical/omicron-in-the-us-how-the-new-covid-variant-is-different-from-delta/
Though the Delta variant is still estimated to be causing the vast majority of current cases in the U.S., more than 20 states have confirmed least one case of Omicron. Multiple local health officials now say they believe the variant is beginning to spread in their communities, citing cases with no links to international travel and data collected from wastewater indicating infections are here.
Early data suggests a vaccine booster shot could be needed to restore protection against infection from Omicron....Test manufacturers and the FDA say widely used rapid and lab-based PCR tests for COVID-19 "show low likelihood of being impacted and continue to work" to detect whether people are infected by SARS-CoV-2 and some tests may even help accelerate the ability of health officials to track and investigate cases of Omicron...
Read more below
Tin, A. (Dec. 8). Omicron: What we know about the COVID variant seen in a growing number of states. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-omicron-variant-what-we-know-united-states-world/
Omicron appears to cause less severe illness than earlier variants of the coronavirus but is more resistant to the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine...The study by Discovery Health, South Africa’s largest health insurer, showed that risk of hospital admissions among adults who developed covid-19 was 29 percent lower than in the initial pandemic wave that emerged in March 2020.
The study found that the vaccine from U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and German partner BioNTech provided just 33% protection against infection, less than the level for other variants detected in the country. Yet, the vaccine may offer 70 percent protection against being hospitalized with omicron....(more at link below
Wroughton, L. (2021, Dec. 14).Omicron variant more resistant to vaccine but causes less severe covid, major South African study concludes. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/12/14/south-africa-omicron-coronavirus/