Dr Navdeep Grewal, emergency room physician, practicing in Vancouver Coastal and Fraser Health Authorities, and Dr Birinder Narang, a family doctor working in East Vancouver and Burnaby, answer frequently asked questions on Omicron variant
What is the Omicron variant?
The Omicron variant is a variant of concern that has taken over from the Delta variant as the most common Covid infection in many parts of the world in the past few weeks, including Canada. Like other variants, it was naturally created where virus was circulating widely and causing numerous infections, resulting in the virus mutating.
Why are we seeing so many Covid cases from Omicron variant around the world?
The Omicron variant of the Covid virus is extremely transmissible and contagious, which means that if someone has an infection, they can in turn infect up to 16 other people. This is 4 times more transmissible than the delta variant, which was already more easily spread than earlier variants of concern. It is also more likely to cause “breakthrough” infections in people who are fully vaccinated, up to 5 times more than the Delta variant.
Why are people getting infected with Covid, even if doubly vaccinated?
We are seeing that the Omicron variant has many more mutations than previous variants, which means that the antibodies we create (from previously being infected with Covid or from getting the Covid vaccines) may not always recognize this variant when we are exposed to it, so we take longer to develop an immune response to fight it off. It is still better than not being vaccinated, because almost everyone who has had 2 doses of vaccine is able to avoid severe illness resulting in hospitalization, ICU admission and death.
What is the current status in BC?
Omicron is spreading rapidly within BC and the rest of Canada.
There has been a rapid rise in cases, and we are seeing the highest levels during the pandemic, and even these numbers are much lower than the actual numbers because people may have mild or no symptoms, and testing lineups are long or PCR tests unavailable, so not everyone who has Covid is getting tested.
It is estimated that cases in BC are doubling every 2-3 days.This increase is currently mostly in the Fraser and Vancouver Coastal Health Authorities.
Are children more likely to get infected with the Omicron variant?
At this time, the variant is causing infection in people of ALL ages. It is more likely that younger kids are getting infected if they are too young to be (fully) vaccinated yet, similar to older people who aren’t vaccinated. And older kids may be more likely to get infected if they are mixing socially because it spreads so easily between people.
What are the common symptoms of the Omicron variant of Covid?
Common:
Runny nose
Headache
Fatigue
Sneezing
Sore throat
Not common:
Loss of taste
Loss of smell
Severe shortness of breath
Why should we be worried if it often only causes a mild disease, like a cold?
Scientists and data analysispredicts that demands on our healthcare system will be extreme in January, even if Omicron is less severe than previous variants. So even if most people only have symptoms suggestive of a cold, the sheer number of people who require hospitalization (1-2% of these cases) will still result in a huge impact on availability of hospital care for Covid and non-Covid patients.
How do we deal with the Omicron tidal wave?
We can still slow the spread of Omicron as we did with previous variants:
-get vaccinated
-wear tight-fitting masks that cover your mouth and nose (consider double masking or wearing a KN95/N95 mask when indoors)
-improve ventilation (open windows/doors when gathering indoors)
-avoid large indoor gatherings, gather only with your same small trusted group of people
-avoid crowded spaces
-wash your hands regularly
-stay home when sick
I’m sick and I’m not sure if it’s Covid. What should I do?
If you are sick, presume it’s from Covid.
If you can, go and get tested at a testing centre.
If your PCR test comes back negative for Covid, stay home until you are well.
If your Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) comes back negative for Covid and you are still having symptoms, stay home and test daily for 5-7 days (it’s possible that the RAT test may not become positive for a few days but you could still have Covid)
If your PCR or rapid antigen test comes back positive for Covid, or if you can’t get tested, stay home and self-isolate for 7 days from start of symptoms
What is the role of booster shots?
Slowing the spread of Omicron buys time to give booster shots which raise antibodies to levels that can prevent infection, reduce cases, and reduce hospital demand. Current data from around the world suggests that the current Covid vaccines prevent 35% of cases from occurring, so it is possible to still get a mild illness after being vaccinated. But with a booster, this rises to preventing 75% of cases from occurring. It is important to remember that regardless of if you’ve had 2 doses or 3, your risk of becoming severely ill, being hospitalized, or dying is significantly lower than someone who is partially or unvaccinated, which is the outcome we want from our vaccines!
