What exactly is the novel coronavirus variant Omicron?

In this Q&A session, Dr. Shangxin Yang, a pathologist at UCLA Health Medical Center, shared some of the questions the public needs to know.

Countries around the world are preparing for the OMICRON virus, a new variant of the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

On Wednesday, Dec. 1, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the presence of omicron in California.

Health officials are renewing the public's reminder to be cautious about vaccinations, frequent testing, and possibly strengthening credible measures to prevent transmission, such as wearing masks and washing hands.

We spoke with Dr. Shangxin Yang, a pathologist at UCLA Health Medical Center, to discuss questions about this new variant and what each of us needs to know.

How is the Omicron variant different from the delta variant and other variants?

Its genome has a lot of mutations. Compared to the original coronavirus, the Delta variant has fewer than 20 genetic changes to Spike protein. The Omicron variant has more than 30 genetic variations. That's almost doubled.

The more changes in the Spike protein gene, the more likely it is that vaccines and therapeutic drugs will lose their efficacy. This is not good news, especially for those who have not been vaccinated.

It is not surprising to see this at the beginning of winter. The pandemic does intensify during the holidays, as travel and shopping exacerbate congestion.

This is the perfect time for omicron to start appearing, and it has the potential to become another big variant.

Is the Omicron variant more dangerous or contagious than the delta variant?

There are not yet enough data or case reports to be determined.

The danger is that we are always two steps behind the virus. First, when we discovered this variant, it was already spreading among the population. The second reason we lag is that we have to define the behavioral characteristics of viruses. We are trying to assess its contagiousness, and this will take longer. By the time we figured out these answers, the virus was already spreading widely.

The good thing is that we learned a lot from the delta variant, so we have a more dynamic response to the omicron variant.

But to stop other variants from appearing, people have to get vaccinated and reduce transmission, which is what causes them to appear.

Will our current vaccines, including booster injections, prevent it?

Most likely, this is the case for the following reasons. Vaccines produce two "arms" of immunity: the humoral immunity arm and the cellular immunity arm. Humoral immune responses trigger the production of antibodies to neutralize the virus. But changes in the virus can affect the potency of antibodies, meaning that vaccinators can still get COVID-19 and spread it.

Now, cellular immunity is different, which is even more important in preventing serious diseases. Our cells are trained to recognize viruses, and they help prevent viruses from causing serious damage to our bodies.

People who are vaccinated will most likely not develop the disease if they are infected with the mutated virus.

The problem is that we had a vaccine two years ago, and it was developed for the virus that appeared two years ago. Once we have a vaccine based on the current variant, we can catch up with the virus.

Are we prepared for U.S. states and cities to close again?

I think that's unlikely because people are tired of being blocked. In addition, we have other preventive measures. We can get people to get vaccinated and vaccine boosters, and we can call on everyone to wear masks. These measures are very effective.

Why are these countries from Australia to Israel closing their borders so quickly?

This is more political than anything else. Closing the border can only slow the spread of the virus for weeks or months. The problem is that once you find the virus, it's already too late. It's already common. Therefore, closing the boundary is not valid. The virus is already there.

Can we foresee a variant of COVID in the near future?

Yes, until we can get everyone vaccinated. It's not just a matter for the United States. We're talking about the whole of humanity. Many of the new variants come from areas where there is no large number of vaccines available.

Suppose, if the whole world were vaccinated, would that prevent the formation of other variants?

I believe it will most likely go away, or that it will turn into a very mild virus. It will no longer cause serious illness. It will become like the common cold.

I think the latter is more likely, given that the virus has expanded its spread and has adapted to humans. I think it may continue to exist even if you vaccinate everyone, but it won't cause serious illness or death again.

What are the symptoms of Omicron?

It is not much different from the symptoms of other variants: cough, loss of smell, diarrhea, fever, runny nose and headache. Symptoms may vary, but we don't have enough data to understand.

What is the wisest thing for us to do at this time?

We should continue what we've been doing – we should continue to wear masks and get vaccinated.

Those who have already been vaccinated should make sure they are vaccinated with booster shots and make sure that your child is vaccinated and that we continue to protect our loved ones and ourselves. At this point, we cannot let our guard down in any way.

For more medical services and remote consultations, please visit the official website of UCLA Health Medical Center Chinese.