Coronavirus Briefing: What Doctors Say About Omicron

What the doctor is telling us about Omicron

This time, we are getting more data on the effects of Omicron on patients from hospitals in the United States. From medical centers across the country, doctors are saying the same to our reporters: This covid wave seems to be different from the last time..

My colleagues Azeen Ghorayshi and Emily Anthes report that at Omicron’s hotspots from New York to Florida to Texas, a small percentage of patients land in the intensive care unit or require mechanical ventilation. They tend to stay in the hospital for a short period of time, and many patients appear in the hospital because of other illnesses and happen to test positive for the coronavirus.

“We are seeing an increase in hospitalizations,” said Rahul Sharma, chief emergency doctor at the Presbyterian Church of New York / Weil Cornell Hospital. But the severity of the illness seems to be different, he said. “Most of the patients who come to the emergency department who test positive are actually discharged.”

Hospital changes are consistent with new data that Omicron may be a mutant with an inherently milder effect than the previous one. However, another explanation for less severe cases is that either vaccination or previous infections have infected Omicron to more people with previous immunity. According to doctors, the majority of Omicron patients in the ICU are either unvaccinated or have a significantly impaired immune system.

A new report from Houston suggests a similar pattern. Researchers at the Houston Methodist Healthcare System compared 1,313 symptomatic patients infected with Omicron with those infected with the Delta or Alpha variant.

Studies have shown that less than 15 percent of Omicron patients were hospitalized, compared to 43 percent of Delta patients and 55 percent of Alpha patients. Among the hospitalized patients, Omicron patients were less likely to require mechanical ventilation and had shorter hospital stays.

The hospital is very tense, despite the changing severity of the illness among the patients. Experts warned that the number of ICU patients (a lagging indicator) could increase in the coming weeks. According to doctors, when employees get sick, hospitals also face staffing and infection problems. And as some hospitals continue to struggle under the crushing of patients from Delta, a new wave is coming.

That was also in the early days. Natalie Dean, a biostatistician at Emory University in Atlanta, has a promising first explanation, but does not yet have sufficient detailed data to draw firm conclusions about the inherent severity of Omicron.

“I didn’t really have enough time,” Dean said. It took several months before a number of large studies on Delta’s hospitalization risk emerged.

Booster calendar update

The CDC today recommended it to Americans who received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine. Get a booster shot 5 months after the second shot, And as the previous guidance said, don’t wait 6 months.

Authorities also recommended that immunocompromised children aged 5 to 11 years receive an additional primary vaccination 28 days after the second vaccination. (Pfizer’s vaccine is the only vaccine approved for children in the United States)

This move occurs when a rapidly prevalent variant of Omicron infects a record number of people daily in the United States.Also the endorsement Mirror guidance From the FDA announced yesterday.

The FDA has also allowed 12 to 15 years of age to receive a booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine. The CDC Vaccine Advisory Board will meet tomorrow to discuss whether to recommend that step.

Guidance on when to seek a booster injection has not changed after receiving the Moderna vaccine (6 months after the second vaccination) or the Johnson & Johnson vaccine (2 months after the first vaccination).

Does a pandemic raise you further concerns?

Since its outbreak, readers with disabilities and immunocompromised readers have told us about the complications they are facing. The world is open at different moments, but many are either forced to remain blocked or continue to adhere to strict measures to protect themselves and their families.

If you find it familiar, we look forward to hearing from you. We collect stories from readers with disabilities, people with immunodeficiencies, and their loved ones who want to share their experiences. If you want to participate, Please fill out this form.. We may use your answers in future newsletters.

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What you are doing

My husband is a COPD patient who is just 81 years old and hasn’t left home for two years except for a doctor’s consultation. I have only contact with the outside world and do errands and shopping as needed. I live in complete fear of meeting people who don’t wear masks on the market! Sometimes I withdraw from them and they frustrate me, but sometimes I aloud and ask them to mask. We both have 3 shots, but if my husband gets Covid, he probably can’t survive it. I’m pretty depressed about not being able to meet my friends during these surges. My husband is happy to stay at home and play the guitar. I play a lot of solitaire on my iPad and read every minute that I’m not busy doing errands. They want to offer high-risk people a fourth shot. If necessary, we live for years like this.

–Patricia Tornborgh, Adventure, Fla.

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