Lauren Dempsey, MS in Biomedicine and Law, RN, FISM News 

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Dr. Angelique Coetzee, national chairperson of the South African Medical Association and one of the first doctors to discover the new Omicron variant, is suggesting that there is no need to panic over the newest iteration of the coronavirus.

The WHO convened on Friday to discuss the increase in reported cases of SARS-CoV-2 and the B.1.1.529 or Omicron variant that was first detected in South Africa. The first confirmed case of infection from the Omicron variant was on Nov. 9 and has since led many countries to respond by closing their borders. The variant has been classified as a variant of concern and the WHO wrote in a briefing that  “the likelihood of potential further spread of Omicron at the global level is high.” 

This new development has many experts concerned about the transmissibility of the new variant, but Coetzee, in speaking with numerous media outlets, has said that her experience with the virus has left her hopeful. The symptoms in patients she assessed were different than previous strains of COVID-19. Patients presented with fatigue, high heart rate, headache, and cough, but patients did not report loss of taste or smell which has been one of the main symptoms in other variants. 

Dr. Coetzee reported that symptoms associated with the Omicron variant are milder than other strains of the virus and this may cause patients to be incorrectly diagnosed. Despite Coetzee’s first-hand experience with the variant, the WHO remains cautious, writing that there are “there are still considerable uncertainties” such as whether infections will have different clinical symptoms than previous strains. Currently the data that is available is limited, and Dr. Coetzee said that she believes we will have a better understanding of the severity of the Omicron variant in the next few weeks . 

Not all experts agree with Coetzee’s assessment. Moderna’s chief medical officer, Dr. Paul Burton, says the Omicron is a “dangerous-looking” variant due to the number of mutations, but is confident that we have adequate understanding of COVID-19 to fight it. With the possibility that Omicron could be vaccine resistant, Moderna said they could reformulate their current vaccine once the efficacy of current vaccines is established. The reformulated version could be available in early 2022 if necessary.

Dr. Mark Dybul, professor at Georgetown University Medical Center’s Department of Medicine, spoke at the Fortune CEO Initiative Conference last week, where he predicted a vaccine resistant strain would emerge. He believes that a multifaceted approach at tackling COVID-9 is necessary, including vaccine mandates for booster shots every six months, wearing masks, and new treatments for the virus, saying he does not think we will return to normal for another two or three years with such high numbers of individuals that are unvaccinated. He portrayed extreme confidence in his prediction saying that “every prediction I’ve made has pretty much come true.”

According to the WHO, the severity of this variant will take days to weeks to fully assess as the majority of reported infections were in college age students who typically have milder symptoms associated with COVID-19 infection. Interestingly, according to a media release from Botswana, four of the cases were found in individuals fully vaccinated for COVID-19 who were tested as part of the routine guidelines for travel. 

The WHO recommends using mitigation strategies to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as well as genetic sequencing to determine which viral strain is dominant. The Biden administration continues to encourage vaccination and booster shots as more information on the Omicron variant becomes available while also banning travel to south African countries.