Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and Chief Medical Advisor the US president, said that the Omicron variant is spreading fast in the country and blazing its way to other countries across the world.
Dr. Fauci shared new updates about COVID-19's latest variant, omicron. According to him, it will likely become the most prevalent COVID-19 variant in the country. He also warned that this will make things terrible, especially for those unvaccinated. Dr. Fauci emphasized that vaccines or booster shots are currently enough to combat the fast-spreading Omicron variant.
Omicron Is Highly Transmissible
During a press conference with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation on Thursday, Dr. Fauci was asked about the things they "knew for certain" about the new variant. He said that the Omicron has an exceptional capacity to spread saying, "it is highly, highly transmissable."
"It is the most transmissible virus of COVID," he added.
Dr. Fauci also said the variant has a doubling time of three days based on how it approached the U.K. And if things go the same in the U.S., which is likely the case, as it does in other countries, then it will soon be dominant in America.
He also noted that omicron is predictive and evades certain immune parameters such as monoclonal antibodies, which are no longer effective in the variant. Vaccination has also lost its potency to combat omicron. However, getting a booster can hugely help because it can "reconstitute" the diminished protection that occurs due to omicron.
According to the Wall Street Journal, federal data showed that the Omicron variant takes up to 3% of all cases in the US, and there are more than one in eight cases in new York and New Jersey. Cases started to go up in the US after Thanksgiving, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that about 2.9% of the cases in the country are due to the Omicron variant.
The UK has been breaking its record of the most number of cases wherein they recorded 88,376 new cases on Thursday, which is more than 10,000 increase from the other day. Meanwhile, South Africa has recorded 26, 976 cases on Wednesday.
Does the World Have the Necessary Tools to Combat the Omicron Variant?
According to CDC, vaccines remain the best public health measure against COVID-19 because it slows down transmission and reduces the likelihood of new variants emerging.
As scientists currently investigate the effects of vaccines against the Omicron variant, they recommend everyone that who is 5 years and older get vaccinated. Also, those fully vaccinated individuals should get booster shots at least two months after their primary vaccination series.
Furthermore, they also encourage everyone to always wear face masks because it offers protection against all variants. Face masks are required in public indoor settings and in areas with high community transmission regardless of their vaccination status.
Lastly, CDC said that there are tests that can tell whether a person is currently infected with COVID-19. People could choose to use either nucleic acid amplification tests (NAASTs) or antigen tests. Self-tests at home are also available, which are easier to use and produce rapid results.
Until scientists learn more about the risks of the Omicron variant, CDC said that it is important to use all tools available to protect public health.
Read also: Omicron COVID-19 Variant: Fiji Health Ministry Warns Mutant Form Increases Risk of Reinfection
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