What you should know about Omicron, the new COVID-19 variant

Omicron, the new variant of COVID-19, was first identified by South African scientists, which resulted in travel restrictions and additional fears of a pandemic. More than a dozen countries have now reported cases of the new variant. And last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) classified the strain as a worrying variant.

While a new variant that is more infectious is cause for concern and additional precaution, there is still much that we do not know. Despite the panic likely to clog your newsfeeds, new variants will keep popping up as long as there are people who stay unvaccinated.

Although Omicron looks different from the rest, we’ll have to wait a week or two before we know what it means. Here’s what you should know first.

It will take you some time to know how dangerous it is

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While people are talking about the many mutations and the seemingly more powerful benefit of Omicron, we don’t have enough information to make such assumptions. We’ll likely have to wait a few weeks to see if the variant is stronger than Delta and able to reduce the effectiveness of vaccines.

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“They have a number of patients who follow them in the medical facilities and they have assured us that they would probably know in a week, a week and a half, whether or not we were dealing with something, which is usually harder, the same difficult or less difficult. It could be either, ”said Dr. Anthony Fauci to CNN.

It seems more transferable

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The Omicron variant was highly transferable in South Africa, which again doesn’t mean much. It could be different in other countries, where Delta was the focus and remained the dominant variant.

Since Omicron has mutations similar to the Delta variant, it is likely to transmit as fast as Delta, or even faster, at least in South Africa.

Vaccines and face masks remain the first precaution

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Vaccine manufacturers are concerned about Omicron because it has so many mutations. Experts have been talking about the possibility of making more vaccines against this type of COVID-19 strain. “[Moderna] and Pfizer can’t get a billion doses next week. The math doesn’t work. But could we get the billions of cans out by summer? Sure, ”Stéphane Bancel, CEO of Moderna, told the Financial Times. Other options that experts are considering would be offering a booster with a higher dose of the virus.

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However, we do not know if this will be the case. Despite the mutations in the variant, current vaccines remain the most efficient way to deal with the virus, especially now that it is Christmas time and cases will inevitably increase. Another safety precaution people might take in the coming weeks would be to wear face masks again in all indoor locations and in crowded outdoor areas.