There’s a new COVID-19 variant, and it’s concerning. Here’s what we know
There’s a new COVID-19 variant, and experts think it’s concerning. Here’s what’s known, and here’s what medical experts are still trying to figure out:
What is the new variant?
The new variant is known as B.1.1.529. It’s been named “omicron” by the World Health Organization.
WHO has categorized it as a variant of concern.
It has not yet come to the United States, but medical experts are awaiting its arrival, according to a Twitter thread by Dr. Ashish K. Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.
Does it cause more severe disease?
It’s too early to tell, Jha wrote.
“So right now you’re talking about sort of a red flag that this might be an issue, but we don’t know,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical adviser to the president, per ABC News.
Experts know that it’s taken off quickly in South Africa, Jha wrote. But with low case numbers in South Africa, rapid takeover could be driven partly by other factors.
“So yes, [I] am worried about transmissibility. But not sure,” Jha wrote.
How will vaccines and PCR tests work with the new variant?
PCR tests will still work, Jha wrote. He encourages everyone to “ramp up testing,” as PCR tests can help medical professionals track the new variant’s arrival in the United States.
Jha said that it’s “super unlikely” that this variant will render vaccines useless, though there are a series of mutations in key regions that might impact the vaccines’ effectiveness.
It will take about two weeks to lab test the effectiveness of the mRNA vaccines, according to a Twitter thread by Andy Slavitt, the former acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services under President Barack Obama and senior adviser for President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 response team.
In the meantime, there will be speculation from limited reporting.
Where have cases of the new variant been found?
The omicron variant originated in South Africa and Botswana, Slavitt wrote.
• Starting Monday, the Biden administration will restrict travel from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi, per CNN. This does not apply to American citizens and lawful permanent residents, CNN reported. As with all international travelers, they must still test negative prior to travel.
• Cases have been recorded among travelers in Belgium, Hong Kong and Israel.
• Multiple countries have imposed travel restrictions on at least six African nations, per CNN.
For North Carolinians
For eligible North Carolinians:
- 57% are fully vaccinated, and 61% have received at least one dose.
- Children between the ages of five and 12 became vaccine eligible earlier this month.
- Visit the NCDHHS website to book a vaccine appointment. Find appointments for first doses, second doses and boosters. (More info: covid19.ncdhhs.gov/vaccines)
This story was originally published November 26, 2021 at 1:20 PM with the headline "There’s a new COVID-19 variant, and it’s concerning. Here’s what we know."
