The COVID-19 Omicron variant is rapidly spreading across the U.S. Researchers said that the infection rate now tops 100,000 new cases per day.
Fortunately, there might be an immediate solution to this most recent threat. Experts claimed that a Pfizer booster shot might grant complete immunity over Omicron.
Researchers confirmed that Omicron infection cases are increasing in different countries across the U.S. despite their best efforts. Omicron is spread through air transmission, making it a lot more challenging to monitor. Although studies have yet to conclude whether Omicron is more deadly than Delta, Americans are advised to remain cautious over the new variant.
Omicron Variant in US: A Cautious Optimism
However, the years of research study about COVID-19 are not laid to waste. According to NPR, Americans can take advantage of a few optimistic points about the Omicron variant.
First, experts noticed that a majority of Omicron patients in the hospital do not need extra oxygen to breathe. They also realized that most of the variant's diagnoses arose from incidental findings.
Second, experts emphasized the difference between fully vaccinated citizens, who have better immunity than unvaccinated ones.
To put into context, South Africa only has one-third of its eligible population vaccinated, which is far lower than the U.S. Because of this, their number of Omicron infection cases is also a lot bigger than America.
COVID-19 Variants: Delta and Omicron Variant
Researchers discovered one other surprising fact about the Omicron variant. Per NPR, 99 percent of the samples acquired are genetically sequenced from the Delta variant. This implies that countermeasures against the Delta variant might still be effective against the Omicron variant.
Pfizer Vaccine Efficacy: Booster Shots Against Omicron
Preliminary lab studies on the topic showed that two doses of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine might not be enough to combat Omicron. However, if a person receives at least three doses of it, they might get enough antibodies to counter it.
According to Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla, two doses of Pfizer could offer enough protection against severe case development caused by the Omicron variant. It could also prevent Omicron spread by reducing the number of carriers for the variant. However, it should be emphasized that a person could still fall sick to Omicron. This is why a booster shot is essential.
Dr. Mikael Dolsten, chief scientific officer at Pfizer, told CNN that "We believe that with the two doses, you still have relevant protection for severe disease, but clearly the drop is antibodies is substantial. However, the good news this morning (December 8) is that our data show convincingly when you get your boost -- the third boost -- the antibody levels rise 25 fold and are now similar to the originally two dose boost that protected well against ancestral strains as well as Delta."
The research is still progressing, so this is not a complete guarantee against Omicron. However, it should significantly boost a person's immunity and survivability. Taking all of this into consideration, it would probably be best to get a booster shot now.
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