Omicron variant: why you shouldn’t wait to get your COVID-19 booster

Yes, new versions of COVID-19 vaccines could be ready to face the new one omicron variant in the next 100 days or so. But no, the Utahns should not delay the recall against the deadly virus, an infectious disease doctor from Intermountain Healthcare said on Tuesday.

“There are a lot of ifs out there and right now we’re being challenged by delta,” Dr Eddie Stenehjem told reporters at a virtual press conference by the world’s largest healthcare provider. the region regarding the newly discovered omicron variant of COVID-19. to be detected in the United States.

Little is known about the omicron variant first identified in South Africa, especially whether it is more transmissible, leads to more severe disease, or is more vaccine resistant than the delta variant that caused the outbreak. cases of the virus in Utah and other states that have restarted in the summer.

Stenehjem said that Pfizer and Moderna had both indicated that they were considering developing vaccines targeting the omicron variant and that they would be “about 100 days before” a product goes to market, a rapid turnaround allowed. by the new technology used.

But he said the Utahns should focus on the variant already present in Utah, which has been responsible for 20 new deaths in the state since Monday. The Utah Department of Health also reported 1,195 new cases of COVID-19 in the state, but the thanksgiving holiday effects shouldn’t start showing up until the end of the week.

“What I would recommend to people is take a booster now, and let’s see how it’s going with omicron in terms of the spread in the United States and what the impact is,” the doctor said. Before what he called the “potentially scary” new variant appeared, he said modeling suggested there could be a post-holiday drop in Utah cases.

Utah was among the hot spots for COVID-19, but the number of cases has been more or less stuck at high levels, unlike steep drops in Idaho and some other states following spikes fueled by the delta variant.

This means hospital beds continue to be overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients, most of whom are unvaccinated. New data released by Intermountain Healthcare for 24 hospitals in Utah and surrounding states shows that 85% of all COVID-19 patients are unvaccinated, a number rising to 87% in the intensive care unit.

While the breakthrough cases of the virus disembarking from the Utahns in the hospital tend to be older, medically vulnerable residents who are unable to boost their immunity levels, the booster shots help most people get back to the high level. protection initially promised by vaccines.

“A reminder is incredibly important,” Stenehjem said.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expanded list of people who “should” rather than “could” receive a COVID-19 booster every 18 and over on Monday, but Gov. Spencer Cox had opened eligibility in Utah to all adults earlier this month, saying they needed vaccines because everyone in the state is at high risk.

“We’ve been in this camp for a few weeks now,” Utah Department of Health spokesman Tom Hudachko said. Adults in Utah can receive any vaccine of their choice as a booster six months after their first set of two-dose Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two months after their single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The Utahns who plan to wait for a recall until it is clear how effective he is against the new variant should think again, Hudachko said.

“I would say that to wait and see just doesn’t make sense. There are currently many illnesses you can protect yourself against. And it makes a lot more sense to protect against something that is currently circulating than something that may or may not be circulating in the community at some point, ”he said.

Han Kim, professor of public health at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, said he was convinced that existing vaccines would fight the omicron variant.

“Vaccines, most likely, will still be very effective,” Kim said. “We should always encourage people to get vaccinated if they haven’t, and to receive boosters if they have.”

The professor said the emergence of the new variant should be a reminder that “it is only a matter of time” before the delta variant is dominated. Even though that doesn’t turn out to be the case with the omicron variant, he said people need protection against COVID-19.

“Right now we’re in the middle of a wave with just the old delta. Omicron, I mean, again we don’t know much about this, I think people should be wary because of the numbers going up with the delta, ”said Kim, advising the Utahns who want to celebrate. holidays safe to get vaccinated soon, as it takes two weeks to become fully effective.

Despite the emergence of the omicron variant, the Salt Lake County Department of Health has not seen an increase in demand for COVID-19 recalls, department spokesman Nicholas Rupp said. He said the department does not plan to promote the vaccines differently until more is known about their effectiveness against the new variant.

“We continue to insist that the full suite of vaccines and booster shots remain the most effective way to protect yourself and those around you from serious illness; all signs are that existing vaccines will provide some protection against omicron, ”Rupp said.

While it is currently uncertain how much protection the vaccines will provide against the new variant, he said, “the vaccines are proven to prevent significant disease and death from all variants known to date. Large-scale vaccination can also help prevent COVID from further turning into additional worrisome variants. “