New Coronavirus Variant, Omicron

Just as the holidays are approaching, there is now a new COVID -19 variant circulating. The new variant is called Omicron. The World Health Organization (WHO) says that the new variant could have severe consequences, globally.

Following the discovery of the new COVID-19 variant called Omicron, the U.S. has now restricted travel from eight Southern African countries. Researchers say that this variant is more transmissible than the delta variant.

Dr. Otis Gowdy, a physician here in Meridian, gave us more insight into the new variant.

“How viruses survive is changing their structure to become more contagious. If it comes more contagious then that’s how it spreads”, stated Dr. Gowdy “When a virus has an opportunity to grow and get stronger that’s what it does. Then that affects what happens in one part of the world ultimately can affect the entire population and that’s what we saw in the Delta variant and the concern is this Omicron variant following that same pattern.”

A new variant could suggest that a new vaccine is needed as well. Doctors and researchers are still analyzing the new variant to see if modifications to the vaccine are needed.

“The vaccine that we have at this particular point would show some form of protection although we don’t know all of the exact data for the vaccine will protect against. I think that is something that we are still looking at and that’s something that we will hear about over the coming weeks of ethnicity for the vaccine that we have present now. With the vaccine, however, the technology that we have in producing it; we can tailor the vaccine to the variants that come out.”

Lauderdale county is under 50% vaccinated, the urge for people to get vaccinated now that there is a new variant Gowdy say is more prominent than ever.

“Now more than ever if there was any concern about vaccine hesitance there should not be. We do know that there is a level of protection with the vaccine and unfortunately we’re seeing that there will be a rise of another variant or further variants as the rest of the world has not been vaccinated”

As of now there have not been any reported cases of the new covid-19 variant, Omicron in the U.S.