Researchers Begin To Work On Omicron, Investigate Symptoms

Stat: Why Firm Answers About Omicron's Impact Could Take Weeks
The emergence of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, with a suite of mutations that suggests it might be extra transmissible and be able to evade at least some immune protection, has the world eager for answers about what it means for the Covid-19 pandemic. But so much remains unknown largely because the variant appears to have been detected and publicized so quickly. With other variants, a matter of months passed between the time they were first documented until they were designated “variants of concern” — in some cases giving scientists more opportunity to understand them before they attracted widespread attention. With Omicron, initially identified as B.1.1.529, it all happened within about two weeks. (Joseph, 11/28)

CIDRAP: New COVID Variant Alarms Researchers, Triggers Travel Bans
Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH, who directs the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), publisher of CIDRAP News, said it's important to be careful in interpreting early data, but said the signals are extremely concerning. The uncertainties surrounding the impact of new SARS-CoV-2 variants, compared to what we expect a pandemic influenza virus to do over time, is what makes responding to evolving threats from the virus so hard. "This situation is a reminder that the future course of this pandemic as it relates to evolving variants is not settled," he said. (Schnirring, 11/26)

On omicron's symptoms —

The New York Times: Scientists Are Studying Whether Omicron Leads To Severe Illness
The early findings are a mixed picture. The variant may be more transmissible and better able to evade the body’s immune responses, both to vaccination and to natural infection, than prior versions of the virus, experts said in interviews. The vaccines may well continue to ward off severe illness and death, although booster doses may be needed to protect most people. Still, the makers of the two most effective vaccines, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, are preparing to reformulate their shots if necessary. (Mandavilli, 11/28)

CNBC: Omicron Covid Variant Symptoms? Here's What We Know So Far
Covid symptoms linked to the new omicron variant have been described as “extremely mild” by the South African doctor who first raised the alarm over the new strain. Dr. Angelique Coetzee, chair of the South African Medical Association, told the BBC on Sunday that she started to see patients around Nov.18 presenting with “unusual symptoms” that differed slightly to those associated with the delta variant, which is the most virulent strain of the virus to date and globally dominant. (Ellyatt, 11/29)

Reuters: S.African Doctor Says Patients With Omicron Variant Have "Very Mild" Symptoms
A South African doctor who was one of the first to suspect a different coronavirus strain among patients said on Sunday that symptoms of the Omicron variant were so far mild and could be treated at home. Dr. Angelique Coetzee, a private practitioner and chair of South African Medical Association, told Reuters that on Nov. 18 she noticed seven patients at her clinic who had symptoms different from the dominant Delta variant, albeit "very mild". Now designated Omicron by the World Health Organization, the variant was detected and announced by South Africa's National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) on Nov. 25 from samples taken from a laboratory from Nov. 14 to Nov. 16. (Mukherjee, 11/28)

On vaccines and omicron —

The Wall Street Journal: Covid-19 Vaccine Makers Assess Omicron Response
At Moderna Inc.’s offices in Cambridge, Mass., alarm bells went off last Tuesday. The company’s team that tracks variants noticed unusual activity in a global database run by the nonprofit Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data, or GISAID, as scientists around the world began uploading information about a new strain, says Moderna President Stephen Hoge. The Moderna team saw roughly 50 mutations on the new variant, which could potentially render it more transmissible and allow it to evade immune responses generated by vaccination and previous infection. “Everyone’s blood pressure went through the roof,” says Dr. Hoge. “It was all the mutations we didn’t want to see together in one variant.” (Zuckerman, 11/28)

CNBC: Moderna Says An Omicron Variant Vaccine Could Be Ready In Early 2022
Moderna’s Chief Medical Officer Paul Burton said Sunday the vaccine maker could roll out a reformulated vaccine against the omicron coronavirus variant early next year. It’s not clear whether new formulations will be needed, or if current Covid vaccinations will provide protection against the new variant that has begun to spread around the globe. “We should know about the ability of the current vaccine to provide protection in the next couple of weeks, but the remarkable thing about the MRNA vaccines, Moderna platform is that we can move very fast,” Burton said on BBC’s “Andrew Marr Show.” (Bursztynsky, 11/28)

Axios: Moderna Says Updated Vaccine For Omicron Could Be Ready In Early 2022 
Moderna's chief medical officer Paul Burton said Sunday that a reformulated vaccine against the newly identified Omicron coronavirus variant could be ready as soon as early 2022 if it's found to be necessary. Burton's comments on BBC's "Andrew Marr Show" come as companies are testing whether current COVID-19 vaccines will provide adequate protection against the strain. (Reyes, 11/28)

Also —

Reuters: Thermo Fisher Says Its COVID-19 Tests Accurately Detects Omicron Variant
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc said on Monday its COVID-19 diagnostic tests can accurately detect the new coronavirus variant Omicron that has made several countries to shut their borders. The World Health Organisation (WHO) last week classified the Omicron variant as a SARS-CoV-2 "variant of concern," saying it may spread more quickly than other forms. Thermo Fisher's TaqPath COVID-19 assays can report accurate results even in the case where one of the gene targets is impacted by a mutation, the company said in a statement. (11/29)

On why it's named omicron —

The New York Times: The W.H.O. Skips Forward Two Greek Letters, Avoiding A Xi Variant
When the World Health Organization began to name the emerging variants of the coronavirus, officials turned to the Greek alphabet to make it easier for the public to understand the evolution: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and so on. Now the alphabet has created its own political headache. When it came time to name the potentially dangerous new variant that has emerged in southern Africa, the next letter in alphabetical order was Nu, which officials thought would be too easily confused with “new.” (Lee Myers, 11/27)