What to know about the omicron variant

A new word is quickly being added to the public lexicon: omicron.

The newest COVID variant has been getting a lot of attention over the last week or so, ever since its discovery in South Africa was announced. But what, exactly, it means for the ongoing battle against the pandemic isn’t quite clear.

The last COVID variant, delta, has been pushing a lengthy surge of new cases that has lasted more than five months. Locally, it has led to some of the highest new case counts in Berks County since mid-April.

So will omicron do the same? How concerned should people be about this new variant?

The answers to those questions aren’t clear, not just yet.

Scientists are working feverishly to figure out all the details about omicron as quickly as possible. But their research will take time.

In the meantime, here’s what we do know so far about the new variant.

What is omicron?

The omicron variant, like other variants, is a form of COVID that has undergone mutations.

Dr. Debra Powell, chief of division of infectious diseases at Reading Hospital, said that COVID and other coronaviruses contain a chain of nucleic acids. Mutations change the order of the nucleic acids in the chain.

And that can alter aspects of the virus, like how easily it is transmitted, how sick it can make people or how effective vaccines are against it.

Dr. Catharine Paules, an infectious diseases physician at Penn State Health, said all viruses undergo mutations over time. Some, like influenza, mutate very frequently, while others do so more slowly.

Paules described the mutations as mistakes that a virus makes when it duplicates itself.

“Some of those mistakes lead to advantages for the virus, so they keep them as part of their genetic material,” she said.

Advantages could include things like being more easily transmittable or being able to evade vaccines, Paules said.

Paules said COVID seems to mutate at a fairly quick rate. In the case of the delta variant, those mutations made the virus more transmittable and led to the variant quickly becoming the dominant strain in most of the world.

“We don’t know if that will happen with omicron,” she said. “I think everyone around the world is watching to see what happens.”

The omicron variant was first discovered in a specimen collected on Nov. 9 in South Africa, a discovery that was reported on Nov. 24. It has since been detected in about two dozen other countries, including the U.S.

On Wednesday it was announced that an individual in California who has contracted COVID has the omicron variant.

The individual was a traveler who returned from South Africa on Nov. 22. The patient was fully vaccinated and is reported to have mild symptoms that are improving.

The variant has since popped up elsewhere in the U.S., including in New York state, Colorado and Hawaii.

Powell said news of the new variant is concerning, but not unexpected.

She said variants will undoubtedly pop up, particularly in areas of the world with low vaccination rates.

“In places with low vaccination rates you have more of the virus and more chances for it to mutate, “she said.

And once a variant is created, she said, it’s only a matter of time before it spreads across the globe.

What do omicron’s mutations mean?

At this point, scientists don’t know exactly what the mutations that make up the omicron variant mean. But it has a lot of them, which has them worried.

“This variant has a large number of mutations, some of which are concerning,” says a statement from the World Health Organization about the variant.

That’s why the WHO designated omicron a “variant of concern” on Nov. 26.

Research is being done in South Africa and other parts of the world to try to figure out all the details about omicron.

U.S. Surgeon General Vice Admiral Dr. Vivek H. Murthy said research could take weeks to complete.

Is omicron more transmissible?

Officials from the WHO have said preliminary evidence suggests the omicron variant may have increased transmission and infection rates, with the number of cases growing quickly in South Africa. But more research needs to be done.

“The number of people testing positive has risen in areas of South Africa affected by this variant, but epidemiologic studies are underway to understand if it is because of omicron or other factors,” the WHO statement says.

Paules said the early data from South Africa suggests omicron is already replacing the delta variant there.

And over the next few weeks it should become clear if it will, indeed, become the new dominant variant worldwide as data from places like Europe and Israel roll in.

Does omicron make people sicker?

It’s also unclear if people who contract the omicron variant get sicker than people who contract other variants, like the delta variant that has been dominant in the U.S. for the past five months.

“Preliminary data suggests that there are increasing rates of hospitalization in South Africa, but this may be due to increasing overall numbers of people becoming infected rather than a result of specific infection with omicron,” the WHO statement says. “There is currently no information to suggest that symptoms associated with omicron are different from those from other variants.”

The WHO reports that the initial omicron infections in South Africa were among college students, younger people who have typically had more mild symptoms from COVID. It will take days to several weeks to understand the level of severity of omicron infection.

The WHO stresses that all variants of COVID can cause severe disease or death, in particular for the most vulnerable people.

Paules said determining the typical severity of illness people experience from variants is something that can take quite some time.

“That is harder information to get,” she said. “You need to see it infect a broad range of people. It took months to understand the delta variant.”

Do the current vaccines work for omicron?

Officials from the WHO say they are working with vaccine manufacturers to figure out how well current vaccines work against omicron. At the moment, their effectiveness against the new variant isn’t clear.

Paules said one of the first things scientists will be able to learn about the new variant is whether vaccines can make antibodies that can neutralize it in a lab setting.

“It’s not a perfect predictor, but it will give us some idea of what we’re facing,” she said.

Research on how well vaccines will work in real world settings will take longer to complete, Paules said, with data on that likely not becoming available for a few weeks.

Powell said she is hopeful that the vaccines will still work.

“If not, we will have to roll out another booster,” she said.

Powell said the beauty of the mRNA vaccines used to combat COVID is they can be easily adapted and produced if it turns out omicron is resistant to current versions.

“That’s the good news, we have really great technology,” she said.

Earlier this week officials from Pfizer and Moderna, two of the companies that have developed COVID vaccines, said they’re preparing to make adjustments to their shots if needed.

But even executives from the same company can’t agree on what to expect.

On Tuesday, Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said his company’s vaccine will likely be less effective against omicron.

The following day, Moderna’s president, Dr. Stephen Hodge, said just the opposite, saying he is hopeful the Moderna vaccine will have the highest efficacy against the new variant.

Only time will tell who is right.

Officials from the WHO are also trying to determine whether immunity gained through contracting COVID protects against the omicron variant.

“Preliminary evidence suggests there may be an increased risk of reinfection with omicron as compared to other variants of concern, but information is limited,” the WHO statement says. “More information on this will become available in the coming days and weeks.”

Scientists in South Africa said in a preliminary study published Thursday that omicron is at least three times more likely to cause reinfection than previous variants.

Do current COVID tests work for omicron?

According to the WHO, the widely used molecular tests — commonly known as PCR tests, the nasal swab — continue to detect COVID variants including omicron.

“Studies are ongoing to determine whether there is any impact on other types of tests, including rapid antigen detection tests,” the WHO statement said.

While someone who has contracted the omicron variant will test positive for COVID through a PCR test, Powell said that kind of test only indicates if someone has COVID. It does not specify what variant a person has contracted.

In order to figure that out, she said, samples must be sequenced.

That is primarily done by the state Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which sequence random samples of specimens.

That means that if someone gets a COVID test and it comes back positive, they won’t know what variant they have, Powell said.

It also means data on the number of cases of a variant isn’t exact.

“Just by the sampling you get a sense of how prevalent it is,” Powell said.

Powell said sampling over the next several weeks will show whether omicron is becoming the new dominant variant, outrunning the delta variant that has been responsible for most of the recent COVID cases.

Do current treatments work for omicron?

Officials from the WHO say two common treatments for COVID are still effective for treating patients with the omicron variant.

Both corticosteroids and interleukin-6 receptor blockers are still being recommended for managing patients with severe COVID.

“Other treatments will be assessed to see if they are still as effective given the changes to parts of the virus in the omicron variant,” the WHO statement says.

What can people do to protect against omicron?

Powell said her recommendations for fighting COVID haven’t changed with development of variants like omicron.

“It’s the same message we’ve had until now,” she said. “It’s not time to throw your mask away, it’s not time to stop social distancing. The message is to not let our guard down yet.”

Powell said that her No. 1 recommendation continues to be to get vaccinated, including getting a booster shot if it’s been six months since your last dose. That will not only protect individuals against omicron and other variants, but can help thwart the creation of future variants.

“The more people who get vaccinated and the more people who are immune the less chance the virus has to adapt and mutate,” she said, adding that vaccinations have to be a global effort. “The entire world is our community. We need to make sure we’re vaccinated, well everywhere.”

And trying to prevent future variants is a big deal, Powell said.

Each time COVID mutates there’s the potential for the creation of a more transmissible, deadlier, more vaccine-resistant strain that will make an already terrible pandemic much, much worse.

“That’s the fear,” Powell said.

Paules also said the public needs to stay vigilant in the fight against the pandemic.

“No matter what happens with omicron, this is not a time to be relaxing in terms of COVID-19,” she said.

Paules, like Powell, said vaccinations continue to be the best tool in that fight. And they need to be used everywhere.

“The way to cut down on the emergence of variants, to slow down COVID, is to vaccinate the world,” she said. “Right now, we’re just not there.”

The WHO has provided guidance to the public that has mirrored recommendations from throughout the pandemic. It suggests:

• Keep a physical distance of at least 3 feet from others.

• Wear a well-fitting mask.

• Open windows to improve ventilation.

• Avoid poorly ventilated or crowded spaces.

• Keep your hands clean.

• Cough or sneeze into your elbow or tissue.

• Get vaccinated.

Is another winter surge coming?

Pennsylvania is seeing a concerning rise in COVID cases even without a confirmed case of omicron in the state.

The situation is distressingly similar to last December, when COVID case numbers began a rise that led to the worst portion of the pandemic.

“Right now we are experiencing a surge of delta cases,” Paules said. “Regardless what variants there are, we’re not in a great situation in Pennsylvania. I have a lot of concerns about where we’re heading this winter, even without considering omicron.”

Paules said Penn State Health hospitals are already beginning to feel the pressure.

“We have levels of hospitalization we haven’t seen since last year’s winter surge,” Paules said, explaining that rising numbers of COVID patients makes it tougher to treat other patients. “It doesn’t just impact people who get COVID, it impacts our ability to care for every patient.”

Powell said Reading Hospital has also been seeing worrisome increases in hospitalizations of COVID patients in recent weeks.

“I’m still highly concerned,” she said. “We’re seeing numbers we haven’t seen since April.”

According to the state Department of Health’s COVID website, a total of 129 COVID patients were hospitalized in Berks County as of Friday. Of those, 22 were in intensive care units.

Powell said she expects the numbers of COVID cases and hospitalizations will continue to rise into the winter months, much like they did last year. And that will make things tough for hospitals.

“We want to take care of everybody,” she said. “Stressing hospitals across the U.S. is not the way to do that.”