Omicron — What We Know Now
Just when we thought Delta was under control and we were free again, suddenly the Omicron variant has reared its ugly head.
South African doctors first discovered this variant in clusters in their country. Then other doctors around the world started testing for it and found pockets of it in the United States, the UK, and other parts of the world.
You may be wondering what you need to know about Omicron. Hopefully, the answers to these frequently asked questions will help you keep up with the latest Omicron knowledge.
Is Omicron the dominant variant now?
It’s actually not! While Delta seems to have taken a back seat, it continues to be the dominant variant. although Omicron is being discussed as the next most likely dominant variant. But for now, Delta is still the gravest threat, particularly to the unvaccinated.
What makes Omicron so scary?
The biggest worry about Omicron among medical experts and epidemiologists is how rapidly it is spreading, which suggests that it may be much more contagious than the Delta variant.
According to Reuters, “In South Africa, the UK and Denmark, the number of new Omicron infections has been doubling every two days — ‘an alarming rate of growth,’ according to Dr. Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla, California.”
I’ve had both of my vaccinations. Will that protect me from Omicron?
Unfortunately, with the information currently available, the answer seems to be no. While being double vaxed is a good idea—and should mean you’ll catch a milder case of Omicron — you do need to get a third booster shot for full protection against the virus.
As reported by the Financial Times, “Anthony Fauci, the chief medical adviser to US president Joe Biden released data on Wednesday that showed a third dose of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine boosted antibody levels well above the threshold needed to neutralise the virus.”
According to the CDC, everyone five years of age and older are eligible for the initial round of vaccines, and everyone 18 and over is eligible for a booster shot.
The federal government is providing the vaccine free of charge to all people living in the U.S., regardless of their immigration or health insurance status.
Find a COVID-19 vaccine or booster: Search vaccines.gov, text your ZIP code to 438829, or call 1–800–232–0233 to find locations near you.
How have countries responded to the Omicron virus?
That depends on the country. The United States has continued to promote its general plan of asking people to wear masks and get vaccinated. The UK has started a “stealth lockdown” campaign, with many venues and public events getting shut down. France, on the other hand, has blocked all UK tourists from visiting the country. Italy requires all visitors, even returning citizens, to have a negative Covid test for entry.
If you want to know what Omicron means for your travel plans, you can check out the following links.
What does Omicron mean for this winter?
Things don’t look good. As Science magazine reports, “Although many questions remain, scientists feel increasingly confident that the new arrival, Omicron, is likely to dramatically alter the trajectory of the pandemic — and not for the better.”
“‘What we see is an extraordinary, rapid spread,’ says Troels Lillebæk, an infectious disease researcher at the University of Copenhagen. Despite very high vaccination rates, the country of 5 million is now seeing more than 6,000 cases a day, roughly twice the number seen during the highest previous peak.”
The Omicron variant should make this another rough winter. Your best bet is to get vaccinated with the booster shot and wear a mask whenever you are outside and around other people.
