Omicron variant could become dominant COVID variant within weeks: Former CDC director
Dr. Robert Redfield says the Omicron variant appears to be more transmissible than previous COVID-19 strains due to less prominent symptoms and anticipates vaccines doses will continue to be needed until a more durable vaccine is available.
The omicron variant of COVID-19, which was first detected in the United States at the beginning of this month, now accounts for 2.9% of all cases in the country, according to data released by the CDC on Tuesday.
The delta variant is still dominant, accounting for 96.7% of all cases for the week that ended on Dec. 11, but omicron is gaining ground as it accounted for just 0.4% the previous week.
Omicron was originally discovered in South Africa, where it is currently driving a surge in infections, and was named a variant of concern by the World Health Organization on Nov. 26.
People wait to be vaccinated by a member of the Western Cape Metro EMS (Emergency Medical Services) at a mobile "Vaxi Taxi" which is an ambulance converted into a mobile COVID-19 vaccination site in Blackheath in Cape Town, South Africa, Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)
An analysis of the new variant by Discovery Health, South Africa's largest private health insurer, found that omicron may be milder than previous variants, but more resistant to the Pfizer vaccine.
"The risk of hospital admission among adults diagnosed with COVID-19 is 29% lower for the Omicron variant infection compared to infections involving the D614G mutation in South Africa’s first wave in mid-2020, after adjusting for vaccination status," the company said in an analysis released Tuesday.
Dr. Manjul Shukla transfers Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine into a syringe, Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021, at a mobile vaccination clinic in Worcester, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)
Two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine offered 70% protection against hospitalization and 33% protection against infection, according to the study.
Pfizer said last week that a third dose, or booster, provides a "similar level of neutralizing antibodies to Omicron as is observed after two doses against… other variants that emerged before Omicron."
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While omicron may cause less severe disease, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a briefing Tuesday that early data suggests it is more contagious.
"Omicron is spreading at a rate we have not seen with any previous variant," Ghebreyesus said.
About two dozen states have reported cases of omicron. New York and New Jersey have seen the most rapid spread, as the new variant accounts for 13% of all cases in those states, according to the CDC.
A healthcare worker administers a nasal swab Covid-19 test at mobile testing site in the Times Square neighborhood of New York, U.S., on Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021. (Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Cases nationwide have risen in the past two months, as the 7-day moving average for new infections stood at 117,890 on Monday, up from a low in the fall of 64,152 on Oct. 24.
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The United States crossed the grim milestone of 800,000 deaths from COVID-19 on Tuesday, according to Johns Hopkins University.
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