Most of us are a bit at a loss as to what to think about Omicron, let alone how to pronounce it. FWIW, I like to say Oh-my-cron! It’s yet another curve ball in the battle to conquer the novel coronavirus and liberate the world from this ghastly pandemic. StatNews has a lot to say about it.
First, to date, there are still very few documented cases of Omicron, although it has been detected in 19 states. We do not yet have lab results that reveal whether vaccinated individuals are well protected against Omicron. But, researchers are now investigating how well the antibodies of vaccinated people fare against Omicron.
The good news: Many experts believe that vaccinated individuals are protected from any serious illness and death, even if they might get sick from the virus.
And, Helen Branswell reports for StatNews that the latest data from South Africa, based on 42 cases, suggests that Omicron does not appear to lead to as severe symptoms as other versions of the virus. For example, most people with the virus did not need extra oxygen or substantial care and very few needed intensive hospital care. Few developed Covid pneumonia; of those, only one had been vaccinated.
While it is still early days and scientists and public health experts must draw conclusions based only on anecdotal evidence, it appears that vaccinated people need not worry about severe symptoms if they do contract Omicron. In the words of Anthony Fauci, “There’s every reason to believe, as we talk about boosters, when you get a level high enough, that you are going to get at least some degree of cross-protection, particularly against severe disease,”
Here’s more from Just Care:
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