Coronavirus Updates: What we know about the new 'variant of concern'

By Derek Hawkins With Leana S. Wen  Email

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The latest

Health authorities have identified a new variant of the coronavirus with some alarming characteristics. It first cropped up in Botswana and is believed to have contributed to a sharp rise in infections in South Africa. On Friday, the World Health Organization officially named it a "variant of concern," meaning there's evidence that it's more transmissible or more virulent than previous versions of the virus. 

Scientists are particularly worried about this one, known as omicron, because it has an unusual number of mutations — more than have been found in other highly transmissible variants such as delta. Many appear on the spike protein, the part of the virus that binds to human cells and enables it to gain entry. The fear is that these changes could help omicron more easily get around the body's immune defenses and render the vaccines less effective. "This is the most concerning variant we've seen since Delta," Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, told The Washington Post.

The announcement of the new variant sent financial markets tumbling, prompted countries around the world to restrict travel from southern Africa, and set off a frantic scientific effort to figure out just how dangerous the evolved pathogen might be. Such a reaction is to be expected at a time when delta is already resurging across Europe and the United States. But it's important to keep the situation in perspective. Scientists still know little about the new variant outside its mutation profile. And so far only a few dozen confirmed cases have been identified in a handful of countries. Public health recommendations haven't changed: get vaccinated, get boosted, get tested when you've got symptoms, and mask up in risky settings. Read our FAQ on the variant for more.

As the Biden administration tries to gauge the threat from omicron, the United States will restrict travel from South Africa and seven other countries in the region. A senior administration official tells my colleague Annie Linskey that the policy is being implemented in "an abundance of caution in light of a new covid-19 variant circulating in Southern Africa." The decision came after the White House arranged a meeting between U.S. and South African doctors to learn more about the variant's spread. "We want to find out scientist-to-scientist exactly what is going on," President Biden's chief medical adviser Anthony S. Fauci said in a CNN interview.

As shoppers hit the stores for Black Friday, the Dow plunged more than 900 points on news of the new variant, marking its worst day of 2021. Airline and cruise company stocks dropped. So did oil prices. But investors flocked back to companies that did well during the first year of the pandemic, including Zoom and Peloton.  

Infections continue to soar in Michigan, now the country's virus epicenter. Covid-19 patients, most of them unvaccinated, are flooding into hospitals across the Wolverine State, pushing the health-care system into crisis. The state's caseload has hit a record high, and hospitalizations are soon expected to do the same. One health executive described the situation as "almost unmanageable." At least two dozen other states have seen cases rise at least 5 percent in the past two weeks, signaling that the fifth pandemic wave predicted by health experts is indeed upon us. 

Other important news

Europe is entering its second pandemic winter with rising cases, rising deaths and revived restrictions. The frustration is palpable.

Global health leaders warn the situation in Europe could be a "window into the future for the Americas."

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Guide to the pandemic

Track confirmed cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the U.S. and the spread around the world.

U.S. vaccine distribution and delivery, tracked by state.

Guides: Booster shots | Finding vaccine appointments | Vaccines | Variants | Masks

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Your questions, answered

Today's answers come from Dr. Leana S. Wen, a visiting professor at George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health and Post contributing columnist. Dr. Wen held a live chat last week and addressed some frequent questions. Sign up for her newsletter, The Checkup with Dr. Wen, here.

Q: What is your recommendation of traveling by air with an unvaccinated toddler (under 2 years old), since they also cannot wear a mask?

Dr. Wen: This is really hard. I'm in your position, as I have a one-and-a-half-year-old daughter. I've been working on getting her used to wearing a mask, but she won't keep one on for more than a few minutes. There's no way she would be able to keep a mask on for any length flight.

That's why my husband and I are not taking her traveling. Domestic flights do not require proof of vaccination or negative testing. While masks are required at airports and on planes, passengers can and do take them off to eat and drink. With the level of covid-19 around the United States, I am not comfortable exposing my daughter to unmasked and unvaccinated people for the purpose of non-essential travel.

That said, there may be circumstances where you have to travel with your young child—for example, if you have to relocate. I'd still recommend traveling by private vehicle if possible, but if not, here are some thoughts. Have your child sit by the window. Turn on the air vent to the highest setting. Do not hesitate to alert the flight attendant if there are people around you who are flouting mask-wearing. If possible, ask to be reseated. And remember that risk is cumulative. Just because you have one high-risk exposure through the flight doesn't mean that you should also have others. Reduce other sources of risk, and, for example, do not also go to indoor restaurants with your child at your destination.

Q: One of my daughters received a Johnson & Johnson shot in early April. She has since gotten a Pfizer shot in early August. How does she know when she will need a booster? Six months after the Pfizer? Thank you for your help with this.

Dr. Wen: I'm glad that your daughter got her booster dose already! I also received the J&J vaccine, then got the Pfizer booster.

There's no indication that people who got one dose of J&J, followed by one dose of the mRNA vaccine, need a third dose of a vaccine. It's possible this may be a recommendation in time, but there's no evidence that this is needed any time soon.

Q: Dr. Wen, what is your advice on whether to mix with the booster if first two were Moderna? Thank you.

Dr. Wen: There's been a lot of discussion on "mix and match" boosters. Here's my general guidance: If you got the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, unless you have a very specific reason to switch to another vaccine, stick with what you received for the first two shots. Pfizer and Moderna are fairly interchangeable with one another, so if one is not available but the other is, you could get a third dose of the other vaccine.

This is very different from what I'd advise for those who got the Johnson & Johnson first dose. For women under 50 who got J&J, they should strongly consider Pfizer or Moderna as a second shot (to avoid the very rare but very serious consequence of the rare blood clotting disorder associated with the J&J vaccine in this group).

Q: At this time are there enough vaccine doses available today to vaccinate everyone that has not received a vaccination and a booster shot? If not, how long will it take to vaccinate the rest of the population given current production rates and storage capacity?

Dr. Wen: Thanks to the Biden administration's proactive work on vaccine supply, there are plenty of vaccines for every American, including to get all the unvaccinated their first two doses and booster shots for those who are already vaccinated.

Some have made the argument that it's unethical for boosters to be distributed in wealthy countries until people around the world receive their initial vaccines. I strongly disagree with this point of view (for more on this, I engaged in a debate with a physician and expert I greatly respect, Dr. Vin Gupta, which you can listen to here).

Click here to read the transcript of the full chat.

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