The omicron variant: the best and worst scenario 0:44
(CNN Spanish) -
The omicron variant of the new coronavirus spreads throughout the world: it will soon be the dominant one in the United States and Europe and cases are already beginning to be registered in Latin America.
But until this Wednesday, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States health authorities, it is not clear how serious the new variant is, although most of the cases that have been diagnosed so far have been with symptoms. mild.
Symptoms of omicron
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in its December 10 update on the variant, the most frequently reported symptoms of people with omicron are:
cough
fatigue
stuffy or runny nose
According to the CDC, a vaccinated patient was hospitalized for 2 days and to date no deaths have been reported.
"Case investigations have identified exposures associated with domestic and international travel, large public events, and home transmission," says the CDC.
The CDC indicates that for the December cutoff, the data available for 43 cases of covid-19 attributed to the omicron variant in the United States show that:
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25 (58%) corresponded to people between 18 and 39 years old
The earliest date of onset of omicron symptoms was November 15 in a person with a history of international travel.
14 (33%) people reported traveling abroad during the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms or receiving a positive test result.
Among these COVID-19 cases attributed to the omicron variant, 34 (79%) occurred in people who completed the primary series of an FDA-cleared or approved COVID-19 vaccine 14 days before onset of symptoms or disease. receipt of a positive test, "including 14 who had received an additional or booster dose"
5 of the 14 people with omicron had received the additional dose 14 days before the onset of symptoms.
6 (14%) people had a prior documented SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Vaccination is the best way
Booster vaccines against covid-19 can help improve protection against omicron and there is no need for a specific dose for that variant of the coronavirus.
That was the explanation of Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, during a virtual briefing this Wednesday at the White House.
The first data on the omicron variant of the new coronavirus makes "a very strong case for people to get vaccinated," according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
"Whatever it is, the disease appears to be less serious. If it is inherently less pathogenic as a virus or if there is more protection in the community, we will have to see when it gets to the United States. And it sure ... is going to be dominant in the States. United, given their doubling time, "Fauci said.
How transmissible is the omicron variant?
According to Dr. Elmer Huerta, "with regard to omicron infectivity, in addition to anecdotal evidence that it is highly contagious, during the first week of December a study by Japanese scientist Hiroshi Nishiura, professor of Environmental Sciences and of Health at the University of Kyoto and advisor to the Ministry of Health of Japan.After analyzing the genome of omicron samples from Gauteng province, South Africa, available until November 26, the study concludes that this variant is - in its initial stage— 4.2 times more transmissible than delta ".
But Huerta explains that "doubts still persist regarding the virulence or type of disease that omicron causes."
Does the omicron variant cause a covid-19 with severe or mild symptoms?
Dr. Huerta points out that the data on people with omicron and who have symptoms, which are being known from Gauteng province, South Africa, says that:
Most cases are mild
Approximately 80% of patients hospitalized for covid-19 caused by omicron do not need oxygen
The vast majority were hospitalized for causes unrelated to covid-19
"Obviously, these encouraging data have to be interpreted with great caution because they are still very initial. They do not represent what may happen in other countries, in different populations," explains the CNN collaborator and author of the podcast "Coronavirus: reality vs. . fiction ".
CNN's Elmer Huerta, Adrienne Vogt, Ben Tinker, Jacqueline Howard, Jamie Gumbrecht, Naomi Thomas and Robert Iddiols contributed to this story.
Covid-19micron