That day-what we know about Omicron variants so far

On Thursday, when the COVID-19 test positive rate in Connecticut reached a record high of 20.33%, Dr. Thomas Balsezac, Chief Medical Officer of Yale New Haven, said statistics for the past few days that a person has an omicron mutation in the coronavirus. Tested to be positive for the body.

He explained that the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test did not detect one of the target genes, the S gene, in the Omicron mutant. This is called an S-gene target failure. However, the gene is detected when someone tests for the delta variant.

Tests showed that there were 677 new Omicron cases and 103 new Delta cases on Wednesday, compared to 208 new Omicron cases and 53 new Delta cases three days ago.

“What’s really amazing about Omicron is how incredibly infectious it is,” said Barsesack, who said the delta numbers were relatively stable, but “actually increased the number of cases.” It is the number of omicrons that is promoting. “

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Omicron variant was first detected in specimens collected on November 11 in Botswana and November 14 in South Africa. The first case of Omicron confirmed in the United States was confirmed in California on December 1.

Researcher Lahora Immunology Institute Omicron stands out for its high number of mutations compared to other variant of concern, “it is contagious even in the presence of deltas and has the ability to spread to a highly immune population.” rice field.

How contagious is Omicron?

A December 23 research According to the Journal of Clinical Medicine, Omicron is estimated to be 3.3 times more infectious than Delta.

Similarly, December 25th preprint The Japanese genotype-to-phenotype consortium known as G2P-Japan estimates that Omicron is three times more likely than Delta in South Africa and 5.6 times more likely in the United States, based on studies of hamsters infected with Delta and Omicron. Did. Kingdom.

Studies also suggested that Omicron is less pathogenic and less likely to cause disease than Delta, but observations in hamsters do not necessarily “completely reflect the observations of infected (human) individuals. There is a warning that it is not always “yes”.

If I already have COVID-19, can I get Omicron?

Yes. COVID-19 is also available if fully vaccinated or boosted. However, in both cases, the risk of serious illness is low, and studies have shown that boosters provide more protection than two shots.

The Reported by CDC Six people in one household tested positive for COVID-19, and five of them were previously infected. Four of the five previously infected were unvaccinated.

The first recorded case in the first-case patient, or group of related cases, was a 48-year-old who reported unmasked contact with a masked coughing person while traveling to Nigeria on November 20. He was a man from Nebraska. Returning to Nebraska, subsequent sequences identified the genotype of Omicron.

No one needed hospitalization for the first or second infection. Although this was a very small sample size, the CDC found that the observations from this study were “short latency, similar to or mild clinical associated with the aforementioned mutations in vaccinated or previously infected individuals. It suggests a syndrome. “

First report of Omicron-related death in the United States I’m from Harris County Public Health In Texas, the agency said on December 20, a man between the ages of 50 and 60 had basic health, had not been vaccinated, and had previously been infected with COVID-19.

What is the risk of hospitalization or death from Omicron?

“If you get vaccinated and boosted, you are unlikely to be hospitalized and the change between going to the ICU or dying is very small,” said Barsesack. He said it was “very, very rare” to see patients boosted in the ICU, and the few patients who ended up there were “quite severely immunocompromised.”

Marna Borgstrom, CEO of Yale New Haven Health, said on Friday that 513 patients across the system were hospitalized for COVID-19, up from 100 at the beginning of December. Despite the increase in numbers, Balcezak says that the proportion of patients in the intensive care unit and those using high volumes of oxygen is lower than in the previous three surges.

“This is probably a sign that the severity of the illness is declining, and it may certainly be a sign of hope for this fourth wave,” he said. But he also said on Friday that pressure on health care systems and testing is likely to increase before it gets better.

Looking at the COVID-19 hospitalization in the UK, the date of the last sample is between December 1st and 14th. COVID-19 compatible team We found that the risk of hospitalization was 20% to 25% lower for Omicron than for Delta, and 40% to 45% lower for hospitalizations lasting more than a day. However, the risk of hospitalization for Delta was already higher than for other variants.

The report found that previous COVID-19 infections reduced the risk of hospitalization for one day or longer with Omicron mutants by approximately 61% before adjusting for a reinfection undercount.

They also showed that those who received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine twice had about the same risk of hospitalization for Omicron, as did Delta.

Unvaccinated people are now three times more likely to get infected with the coronavirus, 12 times more likely to be hospitalized, and 33 times more likely to die, according to the latest information from Governor Ned Lamont’s office on Thursday. It has become.

Several studies, posted online but not yet published in peer-reviewed journals, have found that variants of Omicron reduce lung damage to mice and hamsters. The New York Times reported..

It is premature to know how the Omicron variant affects long-term COVID, a result that can be experienced by those who initially have mild symptoms, and Barcesack said, excellent quantitative for long-term COVID. Said there is no data.

To date, more than 5.4 million people have died from COVID-19 worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins. Coronavirus Resource Center, This is about 1.9% of all reported cases.

How about a quick test when picking up Omicron?

Rapid testing is always less accurate than PCR testing, especially if there are only asymptomatic or mild symptoms.

Nathaniel Hafer, an assistant professor at the UMass Medical School, said: December 10th article The study shows that continuous testing (two or three rapid tests per week) is equivalent to one PCR test.

Initial data from the National Institutes of Health program “suggest that antigen testing detects Omicron variants, but may be less sensitive,” the Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday. ..

Abbott Laboratories said on Tuesday In the analysis of the Omicron variant of the live virus, the Binax NOW test “was performed with the same sensitivity as other mutants, and the data from customer use showed no change in test performance.”

Concerns about rapid testing are false negatives, or negative tests when a more accurate PCR test is positive. False positives are rare.

Are approved treatments still effective against Omicron?

The FDA has granted emergency use authorization for three monoclonal antibody therapies. Bamlanivimab and etesebimab are given together. Kasiribimab and Indevima REGEN-COV; and Sotrovimab. These are treatments given at fluid centers to people who are COVID positive and to close contacts who are at high risk of serious illness.

Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary’s Office for Preparation and Response, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or ASPR, Announced on December 23 Suspending two of the three treatments. According to ASPR, sotrovimab appears to retain activity against the Omicron mutant, but the other two are unlikely to do so.

But on Thursday, National Institutes of Health said In areas where delta mutations “still account for a significant proportion of infections,” two other treatments can be offered to patients if other options are not available.

Therefore, ASPR Updated guidance on Friday All states and territories can continue to order bumlanivimab / etesebimab and REGEN-COV, with the next allocation being made on Monday.

According to NIH, remdesivir, an intravenous treatment, and Paxrovid, Pfizer’s new oral treatment, With limited supply, Is expected to remain active against Omicron.

What is the guidance on masks?

“There is no doubt that a cloth mask is better than nothing,” Balcezak said. Surgical masks are better than cloth masks, and N95 or KN95 respirators are better than surgical masks. He is very good at preventing the wearer from spreading the virus if the surgical mask is “fitted snugly and does not fall under the nose”, but it also prevents the wearer from getting infected with the virus. Not as good as KN95.

Joseph Allen, an associate professor at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and a member of the Lancet COVID-19 Committee, Some aerosols escape From the side of the surgical mask, “The direction of the airflow is important. It is important to reduce the plume of the speaker’s emission cone because it interacts directly with others.”

Concerned about counterfeit respirators, Barsezak said the best thing people can do is buy a known brand like 3M or get it from a reputable supplier like a medical supplies company. Stated.

One source of scrutinized N95 face cover projectn95.org..You can find a list of N95 products approved by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health On the CDC website..

What are the pictures of the hospitalization of the children of COVID-19?

According to the CDC, an average of 378 children under the age of 17 were hospitalized with COVID-19 daily during the week of December 22-28, an increase of 66% from the previous week. Associated Press reported Thursday. That figure is less than 4% of the average daily COVID-19 hospitalization for the week.

Paul Offit, a pediatrician specializing in infectious diseases at the Philadelphia Children’s Hospital, said that none of the vaccinated children who were treated at the hospital about a week ago were vaccinated and two-thirds were obese. Or told AP that he had a chronic underlying illness. Lung disease.

Overall, Yale New Haven Health has 19 children who were hospitalized for COVID-19 on Friday, five of whom were hospitalized in the ICU, saying, “I’ve never seen such a number before. “.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Said on MSNBC Many children are “hospitalized with COVID, not because of COVID.” “When a child enters the hospital, he is automatically tested for COVID and is counted as an individual hospitalized with COVID, but in reality he may be hospitalized for a broken leg or appendicitis,” he said. Told.

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