Are Omicron and its strains more transmissible-or deadlier-than previous variants?įrom the beginning, two important questions about Omicron were top of mind for scientists, says Dr. For that reason, experts continued to express concerns that a large volume of cases in a particular area could overwhelm medical centers, making it difficult to treat severe cases. “The reports show that patients in South Africa-many of whom were young-have had severe fatigue, but no loss of taste or smell,” says Lauren Ferrante, MD, a Yale Medicine pulmonologist.īut some people infected with Omicron still developed severe disease and had to go to the hospital, and some died. Both the WHO and the CDC classified it as a "variant of concern."Įarly reports from South Africa indicated that most cases were mild-and that symptoms for this variant seemed to be different. As people around the world welcomed a new year, the variant continued to surge more quickly than any previous strain in many areas. Omicron was the predominant strain in the U.S. On December 1, the CDC confirmed the first case in the U.S., in an individual in California who had returned from South Africa in November. Omicron was initially identified in Botswana and South Africa in November 2021-although later reports showed earlier cases in the Netherlands. Omicron: A ‘variant of concern’ with potentially different symptomsįirst, some background. Thomas Murray MD, PhD, a Yale Medicine pediatric infectious diseases specialist, and Nathan Grubaugh, PhD, an epidemiologist at the Yale School of Public Health, commented on what we know. Tracking Omicron and its variants can easily become confusing-even overwhelming,īut Yale Medicine follows these variants, and the CDC provides weekly updates to track them. They are also monitoring more than 300 other descendants of Omicron around the world. Cases were also believed to be rising with people spending more time in doors and attending recent holiday gatherings, with fewer wearing masks and taking other mitigation measures. Experts are still trying to better understand XBB.1.5 and other Omicron subvariants, such as BQ 1.1., which continue to circulate. In early 2023, a new Omicron subvariant called XBB.1.5, the most transmissible strain of the virus so far, was predominant in the U.S. Since then, multiple Omicron subvariants have emerged, some of them more adept than others at evading immunity from vaccination or previous infection. After emerging in other parts of the world, the variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 surfaced in the United States toward the end of 2021 and spread like wildfire. In the battle against COVID-19, Omicron has proven to be a difficult opponent. Because information about COVID-19 changes rapidly, we encourage you to visit the websites of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), and your state and local government for the latest information. Note: Information in this article was accurate at the time of original publication.
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