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Boosters key to fight omicron, lot still to learn AP NEWS | CONTRIBUTED
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he new omicron variant took only a few weeks to live up to dire predictions about how hugely contagious it is but scientists don’t yet know if it causes more severe disease even as the world faces exploding cases just before Christmas. “Everything is riskier now because omicron is so much more contagious,” said Dr. S. Wesley Long, who directs the testing lab at Houston Methodist Hospital — and over the past week has canceled numerous plans to avoid exposure. Omicron now is the dominant variant in the U.S., federal health officials said Monday, accounting for about three-quarters of new infections last week. The speed that it’s outpacing the also very contagious delta variant is astonishing public health officials. In three weeks, omicron now makes up 80% of new symptomatic cases diagnosed by Houston Methodist’s testing sites. It took
Courtesy Photo of: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Graphic: Phil Holm & Nicky Forster
the delta variant three months to reach that level, Long said. The mutant’s ability to spread faster and evade immunity came at a bad time — right as travel increased and many people let down their guard. But what the omicron wave will mean for the world is still unclear because so many questions remain unanswered. Here’s the latest on what’s known and what’s still to learn about omicron.
HOW MUCH PROTECTION DO VACCINES OFFER? Vaccines in the U.S. and around the world do not offer as much protection against omicron as they have against previous versions of the coronavirus. However, vaccines still help — a lot. Lab tests show while two doses may not be strong enough to prevent infection, a booster shot of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine produces virus-fighting antibodies capable of tackling omicron. Antibody levels naturally drop
over time, and a booster revved them back up again, by 25 times for Pfizer’s extra shot and 37 times for Moderna’s. No one knows exactly what level is high enough — or how long it will be before antibody levels begin dropping again. After a booster, the protection against an omicron infection still appears about 20% less than protection against the delta variant, said Dr. Egon Ozer of Northwestern University. But if the virus gets past that first line of defense, the vaccinated have additional layers of protection. “The vaccines are going to protect you against severe disease, hospitalization and death,” said Houston Methodist’s Long. “And that’s really the most important thing.” Those extra defenses include T cells that mobilize to beat back the virus, plus memory cells that, once reactivated, race to make more and stronger antibodies. WHAT ABOUT NATURAL IMMUNITY? A prior infection doesn’t seem
to offer much protection against an omicron infection although, like with vaccination, it may reduce the chances of severe illness. In South Africa, where omicron already has spread widely, scientists reported a jump in reinfections that they hadn’t seen when two previous mutants, including delta, moved through the country. In Britain, a report from the Imperial College of London on Friday found the risk of reinfection from omicron was five times higher compared to the earlier delta variant. Health experts say anyone who’s survived a bout of COVID-19 still should get vaccinated, because the combination generally offers stronger protection. WHY ELSE DOES OMICRON SPREAD SO FAST? Scientists are trying to decode the dozens of mutations that omicron carries to figure out what else is going on. Researchers in
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Pfizer pill becomes 1st US-authorized home COVID treatment MATTHEW PERRONE | AP NEWS
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.S. health regulators on Wednesday authorized the first pill against COVID-19, a Pfizer drug that Americans will be able to take at home to head off the worst effects of the virus. The long-awaited milestone comes as U.S. cases, hospitalizations and deaths are all rising and health officials warn of a tsunami of new infections from the omicron variant that could overwhelm hospitals. The drug, Paxlovid, is a faster way to treat early COVID-19 infections, though initial supplies will be extremely limited. All of the previously authorized drugs against the disease require an IV or an injection. An antiviral pill from Merck also is expected to soon win au-
thorization. But Pfizer’s drug is all but certain to be the preferred option because of its mild side effects and superior effectiveness, including a nearly 90% reduction in hospitalizations and deaths among patients most likely to get severe disease. “The efficacy is high, the side effects are low and it’s oral. It checks all the boxes,” said Dr. Gregory Poland of the Mayo Clinic. “You’re looking at a 90% decreased risk of hospitalization and death in a high-risk group — that’s stunning.” The Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizer’s drug for adults and children ages 12 and older with a positive COVID-19 test and early symptoms who face the highest risks of hospitalization. That includes older people and those with conditions like obesity and heart disease, though
the drug is not recommended for patients with severe kidney or liver problems. Children eligible for the drug must weigh at least 88 pounds (40 kilograms). The pills from both Pfizer and Merck are expected to be effective against omicron because they don’t target the spike protein where most of the variant’s worrisome mutations reside. Pfizer currently has 180,000 treatment courses available worldwide, with roughly 60,000 to 70,000 allocated to the U.S. Federal health officials are expected to ration early shipments to the hardest hit parts of the country. Pfizer said the small supply is due to the manufacturing time — currently about nine months. The company says it can halve production time next year.
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This image provided by Pfizer shows the company's COVID-19 Paxlovid pills. U.S. health regulators on Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021 authorized the first pill against COVID-19, a Pfizer drug that Americans will be able to take at home to head off the worst effects of the virus. | Photo by Pfizer via HSJC.
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US economy grew at 2.3% rate in Q3, up from earlier estimate MARTIN CRUTSINGER | AP NEWS
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he U.S. economy grew at a 2.3% rate in the third quarter, slightly better than previously thought, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. But prospects for a solid rebound going forward are being clouded by the rapid spread of the latest variant of the coronavirus. The third and final look at the performance of the gross domestic product, the nation’s total output of goods and services, was higher than last month’s estimate of 2.1% growth. The new-found strength came primarily from stronger consumer spending than what was previously thought, as well as businesses rebuilding their inventories more than initial estimates revealed. The 2.3% third quarter gain follows explosive growth that began the year as the country was emerging from the pandemic, at least economically. Growth soared to 6.3% in the first quarter
Major U.S. ports are processing almost one-fifth more container volume this year than in 2019. | Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images.
and 6.7% in the second quarter. The emergence of the delta variant in the summer was blamed for much of the third quarter slowdown. Now with the appearance of the omicron variant, coming on top of high inflation and lingering supply chain issues, there are concerns that growth could be con-
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strained heading into 2022. Those fears have sent the stock market on a turbulent ride in recent days, although new optimism that the omicron risks will be manageable sent the Dow Jones industrial average up 560 points Tuesday. On Wednesday, President Joe Biden convened a meeting of his
supply chain disruptions task force virtually and in-person in Washington, where he touted what he said was significant progress in alleviating bottlenecks at the ports and other issues that had created shortages of goods and contributed to higher prices for consumers. Biden said that retail inventories are up 3% from last year and on-shelf availability for products is at 90%, close to where it was before the pandemic. “Packages are moving. Gifts are being delivered. Shelves are not empty,” Biden said. Still, it is what is unknown that is of concern to many economists, who say it is far too early to declare an all-clear on the threats posed by the new variant. “History is repeating itself with the COVID virus suddenly reappearing and dampening economic growth prospects,” said Sung Won Sohn, an economics and business professor Loyola Mary-
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