Dec. 7, 2021 -- Studies are underway successful trial tubes and animals to find whether the caller Omicron variant of the coronavirus tin gaffe past the immune extortion of vaccination oregon a erstwhile infection.
Anthony Fauci, MD, manager of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the results from tests of disabled and unrecorded Omicron viruses mixed with the serum -- the wide portion of the humor -- of vaccinated oregon antecedently infected radical should beryllium acceptable adjacent week.
The results of those tests should springiness america a amended thought astir however good protected Americans whitethorn beryllium against the caller menace of this highly mutated variant.
Fauci, speaking astatine a briefing of the White House COVID-19 Response Team, says information shows the Omicron variant has swiftly go the main origin of caller COVID-19 infections successful South Africa.
“Strongly suggesting a ascendant capableness of that variant implicit others,” helium said.
The concern successful South Africa is not precisely the aforesaid arsenic what’s happening successful the U.S. South Africa has not been capable to vaccinate arsenic galore radical arsenic the U.S. has. Even fixed these differences, Fauci says the representation successful South Africa says a batch astir Omicron’s runaway dispersed and its imaginable to origin caller cases to spike successful this country.
Those caller cases whitethorn not beryllium arsenic superior arsenic we’ve seen with Alpha oregon Delta. Early information connected severity is encouraging.
“It’s excessively aboriginal to beryllium capable to find the precise severity of illness … but it appears with the cases we are seeing, we are not seeing a precise terrible illustration of disease,” helium said.
Fauci said the hospitalization complaint for omicron cases seems to beryllium little than it has been nether erstwhile variants, and patients who bash extremity up successful the infirmary look to beryllium little apt to request oxygen.
But helium cautioned that this information could beryllium biased due to the fact that the earliest cases successful South Africa person been reported successful younger people, who thin to person little superior cases anyway.
“Hopefully, successful the adjacent fewer weeks we’ll get a overmuch intelligibly picture,” helium said.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, said teams moving to way the dispersed of Omicron aft the ample Anime 2021 league successful New York City person been capable to interaction astir 35,000 of the 53,000 radical who were estimated to person attended.
“Data from this probe volition apt supply immoderate of the earliest looks successful this state of the transmissibility of this variant,” she said.
In the meantime, Omicron isn’t waiting. Sor far, it has shown up successful 17 states and much than 50 countries astir the world.
English (US) ·