The omicron variant was officially announced as a COVID-19 variant of concern on Friday by the World Health Organization.
But still so new, it’s unclear yet just how serious the variant is, and whether it will be as game-changing as delta was over the summer.
Experts will be paying close attention as to the effect the new strain is going to have on people who have not been vaccinated and how contagious is it, said Dr. Robert Siegel, a professor with the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Stanford University on KCBS Radio's "Ask an Expert" with Holly Quan and Matt Bigler on Monday.
Health officials are also monitoring how the new strain will be affecting those who are vaccinated and have had their booster shots. Initial reports indicate that the strain might not cause serious illness, but it’s not yet known how contagious it is, said Siegel.
"How effective is the vaccine? Are there breakthrough infections? Are the breakthrough infections serious or mild?" Siegel said. The vaccine still seems to be the most important way to fight the virus, he said.
More will become clear in a couple of weeks, he said. Luckily, scientists now have the ability to create new vaccines relatively quickly. "But there is definitely a lag time in the creations of vaccines in terms of being able to test them, whether they work," said Siegel. "That’s not something you can just do overnight."
The new strain also presents a lot of differences in its genetic sequence from previous iterations of the virus, said Siegel.
"A lot of changes can be a bad thing because it can mean that you can skate from previous immunity but lots of changes aren’t necessarily bad," he said. "Lots of changes can also make the virus more benign, can make the virus nonfunctional."
Some are even contemplating whether this strain will help boost natural immunity as it spreads, because the illness it causes appears milder than previous strains, said Siegel.
It’s unclear yet if those who’ve already contracted COVID-19 will be susceptible to reinfection with the new variant, he said. But regardless, the vaccine provides better protection than COVID-19 infection.
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