3 Things to Know About the Omicron Variant

The WHO deemed the newly-identified Omicron COVID-19 variant a "variant of concern." While it will take weeks for researchers to better understand the variant, there are a few things we know so far.

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By Anisa Arsenault, Associate Editorial Director Well, at least we were able to enjoy a relatively normal Thanksgiving before Omicron burst onto the scene. In today's newsletter, we're exploring what you need to know about the new COVID-19 variant. Today's Top Story 3 Takeaways About Omicron Last week, the World Health Organization deemed the newly-identified Omicron COVID-19 variant a "variant of concern." While it will take weeks for researchers to better understand the variant, there are a few things we know so far. 1. The variant was first detected in South Africa and has spread to at least 19 countries, including the Netherlands, Denmark, Australia, Britain, and Canada. It has yet to be detected in the United States, but experts say it's inevitable. 2. Omicron has about 50 mutations, over 30 of which are within its spike protein (the spike protein is what allows the virus to latch onto cell receptors in the respiratory tract). These mutations present a triple threat unique to Omicron: a. They eliminate binding sites for antibodies—including antibodies conferred by vaccination. b. They allow the virus to replicate faster. c. They allow the virus to bind more tightly to human receptor cells. 3. Early data suggests Omicron may pose a higher risk of reinfection, but the symptoms don't seem any worse than those from other variants. Still, much more information is needed before making claims about how transmissible, infectious, or dangerous this new variant is. Know More Both Pfizer and Moderna have announced plans to explore an Omicron-specific vaccine. If that ends up being necessary, Pfizer's CEO said a new vaccine could be ready in 100 days. Feel Better While we're still watching and waiting, more and more experts suggest the symptoms caused by Omicron may be more mild than other strains of COVID-19. READ MORE How is the United States tracking when it comes to COVID-19 vaccination? A Verywell projection finds at least 15 states will have fully vaccinated at least 70% of their populations by the end of the year. Why Vaccinating Kids Matter for Everyone As long as people are unvaccinated, COVID variants will continue to circulate. In the United States, only 59% of the population is fully vaccinated. But that could hit 65% by the end of the year thanks to one group: kids. Kids aged 5 to 11 only became eligible for vaccination in October. We predict 22% will be fully vaccinated by the end of the year. READ MORE Ice Cream Fills a Nutritional Void In happier news, dietitians at Sheba Medical Center in Israel found an easy way to brighten patients' days while boosting their nutritional intake: ice cream. Hospital staff noticed that many older adult patients were experiencing malnutrition during the pandemic, partially due to feelings of isolation and depression from visitor restrictions. But once dietitians popped nutrition supplement drinks like Ensure or Glucerna into an ice cream maker, the food started to go down just fine. READ MORE   In an interview with Verywell, virologist Andrew Pekosz, PhD, explains there's really only one thing you can do to protect yourself against the new COVID-19 variant. If you want to be proactive, go and get your vaccine, go get your booster, try to work to get the population immunity up to a higher level so that if Omicron does actually become a variant here in the U.S., we'll have that head start. Andrew Pekosz, PhD Professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health   Keep Reading   ■ Omicron Symptoms Mild So Far, Says South African Doctor Who Spotted It. BBC     ■ Morning Exposure to Deep Red Light Improves Declining Eyesight. UCL     ■ Two Doses of COVID Vaccine Mandatory To Buy Liquor in Nilgiris District. Indian Express More From Verywell Word of the Week: Variant READ MORE What Is a Mutation? READ MORE A Guide to COVID Treatments READ MORE   How'd we do? If you have any feedback, send us a note at   feedback@verywell.com.       You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the Verywell Health newsletter. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here.   A DOTDASH BRAND 28 Liberty Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY, 10005   © 2021 verywellhealth.com - All rights reserved. Privacy Policy