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What You Need To Know About Omicron

by Shrina Dong ‘24


As I walk to my bus stop every morning, the lines of people waiting to test for COVID that used to take up only half a block now extend to three blocks. Every Wednesday at NEST, we get two boxes of rapid tests during last period and swab our noses when we get home, hoping that the two lines we’ve learned to fear don’t show up. In New York, we’ve seen a spike in cases. There was a day with over 20,000 new cases—a record high since the start of the pandemic as testing becomes more available and. With the Delta wave not quite over, we’ve already learned about a new variant, B.1.1.529, more commonly known as Omicron, that is responsible for the increase in cases. As sick as we are of talking about it, it is important to stay informed to protect yourself and your loved ones.


Overview:

The new variant was first detected circulating in South Africa. The CDC classified Omicron as a variant of concern on November 26th, 2021—the first new variant of concern since Delta. The first US case of Omicron was detected in Northern California on December 1st, 2021. But you may be wondering why Omicron is such a concern if new variants pop up all the time. A virus is always changing as it replicates and spreads. The more it spreads, its chance of undergoing “copying errors,” or genetic mutations, increases. It’s important to keep in mind that mutations are completely random. A virus does not consciously make mutations to benefit itself. When a virus develops one or more changes in it’s genetic code, it’s called a variant of the original virus. Some of these variants are not particularly harmful while others present serious threats. There is no evidence that suggests Omicron causes more severe symptoms than previous variants, but the World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed that the Omicron variant is spreading faster than any previously detected strain of the coronavirus, explaining the sudden increase of cases. This may be due to the fact that Omicron has about 50 genetic mutations from the original virus, 36 of which are the spike protein, the part that lets the virus attach to human cells.


Compared With Delta:

As Omicron establishes itself, hospitals are still grappling with outbreaks caused by Delta. The Delta variant is already two times more contagious than any other previous variants, so how does that compare with Omicron? Omicron may be two to three times more transmissible than Delta, begging the question of when Omicron will overtake Delta as the prominent variant. Symptoms of Omicron seem to be mild so far in confirmed cases, but as of December, we still don’t know enough information.


What Does This Mean For Vaccines & Immunity?

There is a higher risk of reinfection with the Omicron variant, more than five times higher than Delta, so the immunity developed from past infections and the vaccine now provides less protection. Luckily, full vaccination still provides significant protection against the variants, especially with the addition of a booster shot.


Sources:

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “CDC Statement on B.1.1.529 (Omicron variant)”, Friday, November 26, 2021

  • The Washington Post. “Understanding omicron’s many mutations”, December 16, 2021

  • Reuters. “Omicron more likely to reinfect than Delta, no milder -study”, December 17, 2021

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