More than 2 weeks later, we are starting to get some answers to the newly identified, Omicron variant causing COVID-19.
A team of research scientists led by Dr. Michael Chan Chi-wai, an associate professor in the division of public health laboratory sciences at the University of Hong Kong’s Li Ka Shing (LKS) Faculty of Medicine discussed their findings related to the Omicron variant in a press release. Dr. Chan and his colleagues have focused their research on studying various viruses using ex vivo cultures (human tissue samples).
A little bit of background before discussing the research, we have two bronchi, left and right each going to their respective lungs. The job of each bronchus is to carry air from the trachea (a passageway for the air) to the alveoli (small sacs which are responsible for gas exchange).
Dr. Chan and colleagues using the ex vivo cultures of bronchus found that at 24 hours after infection, the Omicron variant replicated about 70 times higher than the Sars-CoV-2 virus and the Delta variant. However, the Omicron variant replicated more than 10 times lower in ex vivo cultures of the lung, possibly suggesting a low severity of COVID-19.
As Dr. Chan said in the news release, severity of Omicron is not only dependant on the replication rate but, also the human being’s immune response. Dr. Chan also warns to not misunderstand the data by taking the Omicron variant as not threatening due to lower replication in the lungs, because when an infectious virus (i.e., Omicron variant) infects a lot of people in a short period of time, the severity of disease may significantly increase.
On the other hand, vaccines are showing to be promising in decreasing the severity of COVID-19 caused by the Omicron variant. Pfizer-BioNTech report that a booster dose of their vaccine increases the antibodies needed to fight the Omicron variant by 25-folds.
Similarly, Moderna reports that getting the third booster dose of 50 micrograms shows to be more protective against the Omicron variant. Additionally, the company is testing the effectiveness of the booster dose at 100 micrograms (similar to the first two initial doses).
The Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has yet to put out an official statement on its vaccine’s response against the Omicron variant. However, news media outlets and other blogs have put out that a study conducted by a South Africa based virologist has showcased that a single dose of J&J vaccine did not show any antibody protection against the Omicron variant.
In these uncertain times, be kind to yourself and people around you. Strive to stay safe by following all of the public health guidelines!