Scientists around the world are scrambling to understand the new Omicron variant of COVID-19, identified last week -- its symptoms, severity and contagion.
Governments have reacted with travel restrictions hoping to contain the spread of the variant, which was first identified in
Scientists have found Omicron's mutations could help it evade immunity -- whether from vaccination or previous COVID-19 infection -- but say more research is needed.
As a result of the new variant's emergence, the
"Existing vaccines are [still] likely to provide a degree of protection against severe cases" of the virus, Dr.
However, "it will take approximately two more weeks to have more definitive information on the transmissibility, severity and other characteristics of the variant," he said in the statement.
Here's what is known about Omicron so far.
Slightly different symptoms
The first patient infected with the Omicron variant, a 33-year-old man in
The patient reported severe fatigue and pain, including a mild headache, for several days prior to testing positive for the virus, she said.
He did not develop a sore throat -- but had a "scratchy" throat -- and did not experience a cough or loss of taste or smell, Coetzee said.
A sore throat, cough and loss of sense of taste or smell are common symptoms of earlier strains of COVID-19, including the Delta variant, which has been the predominant one in
The Delta variant is also known to cause more severe headaches, runny nose and fever.
"Anyone can have mild to severe symptoms" that may appear two to 14 days after exposure to the virus,
The symptoms of COVID-19, regardless of variant, include fever or chills, a cough, fatigue, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or a runny nose, nausea or vomiting and diarrhea.
Vaccines and boosters
In
On Monday, the
"The recent emergence of the Omicron variant further emphasizes the importance of vaccination, boosters, and prevention efforts needed to protect against COVID-19,"
"I strongly encourage the 47 million adults
There is no evidence suggesting that the available vaccines from
However, all three manufacturers are testing their vaccines against the new strain and have said they will modify their formulations if needed.
A redeveloped Moderna COVID-19 vaccine that would be effective against the Omicron variant could come as soon as early 2022, Dr.
Meanwhile, Pfizer-BioNTech executives told
Origins of Omicron
Physicians in
Omicron has 32 genetic mutations compared to earlier variants of the virus, which may give it "an advantage in transmissibility and that it might evade immune protection" from prior infection or available vaccines, Fauci told
Less than 25% of the population there is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, it said.
Since the first case was announced in
Potential for spread
"Even if it's milder than Delta, the increased transmissibility and/or immune escape would still make [Omicron] more dangerous," public health specialist
"Exponentially more cases [means] exponentially more hospitalizations and deaths," said Feigl-Ding, a senior fellow at the
Although it is likely the variant has already spread globally, the Delta variant is still responsible for most of the current infections globally, the
"Over 99% of cases around the world are due to the Delta variant and more deaths are occurring in the unvaccinated,"
"I think that's our priority while we wait to find out more about [the new] variant," she said.
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