All About Omicron

🦠 Antibodies ascertained: Studies show the same omicron mutations that make the variant more resistant to natural and vaccine-induced antibodies also make it resistant to most monoclonal antibody treatments.

• However, researchers have identified at least five monoclonal antibodies that remain effective against most strains of Covid, including omicron and delta.

🇺🇸 US health agencies have been busy… Last Tuesday, the CDC significantly revised downwards its estimate of the percentage of new Covid infections caused by omicron, giving no explanation for the sudden change.

• The agency had previously said the new variant made up 73% of all cases for the week ending December 18. Now, it says that number was 22.5%. For the week ending Christmas Day, their data shows omicron made up nearly 59% of all infections.

Yesterday, the FDA expanded eligibility for Pfizer and BioNTech booster shots to all children ages 12 to 15 years old and those ages 5 through 11 who have compromised immune systems. The agency also shortened the recommended time between the second Pfizer dose and the booster shot to five months instead of six.

🫁 A sigh of relief? Two recent lab studies suggest that omicron could be milder than other variants because it attacks human lung cells in a different, less effective way, which could also explain why it's more easily transmissable.

🧐 Word to the wise... It'll still take some time before omicron's true profile comes into focus. Experts caution against reading too much into these early reports since they're based on small numbers of patients and have yet to be peer-reviewed.