Omicron Variant Makes Up 2% Of IL, Great Lakes COVID-19 Cases

ILLINOIS — The state's first reported case of the omicron variant was confirmed last week by the Chicago Department of Public Health. The first in suburban Cook County was announced Wednesday. But the more-transmissible mutation of the coronavirus may already make up about 2 percent of cases in the Great Lakes region, which includes Illinois, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The World Health Organization said this week that omicron is spreading faster than any other variant.

"Seventy-seven countries have now reported cases of omicron, and the reality is that omicron is probably in most countries, even if it hasn't been detected yet," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Tuesday.

Health officials say an "alarming" number of mutations likely make omicron much more transmissible than other coronavirus variants. While a South African study published Tuesday suggests it may be milder as well, health officials said the variant is still dangerous and cautioned against complacency.

"We're concerned that people are dismissing omicron as mild," Tedros continued. "Surely, we have learned by now that we underestimate this virus at our peril. Even if omicron does cause less severe disease, the sheer number of cases could once again overwhelm unprepared health systems."

According to the CDC, omicron accounted for less than half a percent of U.S. infections two weeks ago. It now represents nearly 3 percent.

RELATED: 1st Case Of Omicron Variant Confirmed In Cook County Suburbs

The announcement comes on the one-year anniversary of the first COVID-19 vaccinations in Illinois. State health officials say more than 18 million doses have now gone into arms statewide, and 59.5 percent of Illinoisans are fully vaccinated.

“We have come a long way from the first doses of COVID-19 vaccine administered a year ago today, and we must continue our fight against this pandemic,” said the state's public health director, Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “Since that first day, we’ve seen one COVID-19 vaccine fully approved, the age for those eligible to receive a vaccine expanded to everyone 5 years and older, and booster doses for everyone 16 years and older. I urge anyone who is hesitant about the COVID-19 vaccine to look at the successful history of these safe and effective vaccines.”

Health officials said the omicron variant likely evades some protection afforded by the vaccines, but a third booster shot was able to neutralize omicron in laboratory tests, according to drugmakers. The CDC now recommends boosters for all adults.

And, for now, the delta variant remains much more prevalent across the country — especially among the unvaccinated who have no protection against it. In the Great Lakes region, which includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin, delta makes up 97.6 percent of cases, while AY.1 — the so-called delta plus variant — makes up 0.1 percent. Omicron makes up 2 percent, while all others account for 0.3 percent.

Federal health officials say the CDC's genomic surveillance system collects thousands of specimens of the virus every week and runs a genetic sequence to determine what mutations they have.

"Rapid virus genomic sequencing data combined with phenotypic data are further used to determine whether COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines authorized or approved for use in the United States will work against emerging variants," according to the CDC's website.

In addition to vaccines, antiviral pills from Merck and Pfizer are expected to receive approval by the Food and Drug Administration by the end of the year.

According to Pfizer, its new pill was effective against omicron, decreased virus levels by tenfold and cut hospitalizations and deaths by nearly 90 percent when taken within three days of the onset of symptoms. Merck's pill reduced hospitalizations and deaths by 30 percent in high-risk adults, according to data the company submitted to the FDA last month.

"This is truly a game changer," Dr. Daniel Griffin, an expert on infectious diseases and immunology at Columbia University, said of the new treatments.

But the pills aren't here yet — and omicron is — so health officials emphasized the importance of masks, vaccinations and social distancing to combat a winter coronavirus surge.

On Tuesday, the city of Chicago put California and Mississippi back on the list of states under a travel advisory as cases spike nationwide.

"This week's data is not surprising to anyone who has been tracking it day to day, as we have at CDPH," said Chicago's top doctor, Dr. Allison Arwady. "The highest COVID rates are currently in the Midwest and New England, but this week two warm-weather states — California and Mississippi — are back on the advisory. Don't assume you'll be fine if you travel someplace warmer than the Midwest. The only way to ensure you're protected as well as you can be is to be fully vaccinated and wear a mask when you're around other people in public."