VA Health Officials Monitoring Omicron Variant, Urge Residents To Get Vaccine, Booster

VIRGINIA — The new omicron variant of the coronavirus has not yet been detected in Virginia or in the U.S., but officials are keeping an eye out for it. The variant was recently found in Canada after first being identified in South Africa and then in Europe.

The omicron variant is expected to be detected soon in Virginia, the Virginia Department of Health said late Monday.

“Once again, we see how unpredictable viruses can be,” State Health Commissioner Norman Oliver said in a statement Monday. “Viruses change and mutate all the time, and as we learn more about this new variant, we need to continue taking precautions to reduce infections.”

To help reduce the chances of the emergence of new variants and to finally get the COVID-19 pandemic under control, Oliver urged Virginians to get the COVID-19 vaccine and, if eligible, get a booster vaccine as soon as possible.

Virginians also should continue to help reduce virus transmission by wearing a face mask in indoor public places, social distancing, staying home if sick, and getting tested if they have COVID-19 symptoms.

Virginians can find a testing location near them on the VDH COVID-19 testing web page.

The level of community transmission in Virginia remains high, with vaccination remaining the most important tool in fighting the pandemic, according to the VDH.

In Virginia, 77 percent of adults are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and 64.8 percent of the state's entire population is fully vaccinated. Of the 5.5 million Virginians who are fully vaccinated, 1.2 million of them have received a booster vaccine, according to the VDH.

Like this article? Sign up for our newsletter and get it delivered daily. It's free!

Everyone in Virginia who is age 5 or older is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine now. VDH also recommends that eligible people who are age 18 and older should receive booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. To find a location to get your vaccine, visit vaccinate.virginia.gov.

The seven-day percent positivity rate for COVID-19 has increased slightly in Virginia. At the beginning of November, the seven-day percent positive rate stood at 5.3 percent, the lowest level since the delta variant arrived in Virginia. In early September, the percent positive rate peaked at 11 percent since the arrival of the delta variant. On Nov. 26, the seven-day percent positive rate had climbed back to 6.3 percent.

Here are five things to know about the omicron variant.

1. Variant Of Concern

The omicron variant was dubbed a "variant of concern" by the World Health Organization on Friday, but little is actually known about it.

"This variant is a cause for concern, not a cause for panic," President Joe Biden said as U.S. financial markets rebounded Monday after falling sharply on Friday. The White House said there were no plans to curtail Biden's travel as a result of the new variant.

The uncertainty that surrounds the variant looms over the state's progress in scaling back transmission.

"I know, America, you're really tired about hearing those things, but the virus is not tired of us," Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, said, according to The New York Times. "And it's shape-shifting itself."

2. Transmissibility

White House officials said Sunday it could take "two more weeks to have more definitive information on the transmissibility, severity and other characteristics of the variant."

On the same day, the White House's chief medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, told ABC that the variant "appears to be" more transmissible than other variants.

"It has the molecular characteristics that would strongly suggest that it would be more transmissible," Fauci said, adding that the variant has "a disturbingly large number of mutations."

3. It Could "Evade" Some Vaccine-Induced Antibodies

Although little is known about the variant, Fauci told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday that it could "evade some of the protection of monoclonal antibodies and convalescent plasma and perhaps even antibodies that are induced by vaccine."

But Fauci said he didn't think there was any possibility the variant would completely evade protection from current vaccines.

"It may diminish it a bit, but that's the reason why you boost," he said.

Based on the possibility that mutations in omicron could evade an immune response and boost its ability to be transmitted between people, "the likelihood of potential further spread of omicron at the global level is high," WHO said.

"Depending on these characteristics, there could be future surges of COVID-19, which could have severe consequences, depending on a number of factors including where surges may take place," it added. "The overall global risk related to the new VOC Omicron is assessed as very high."

In response to the dire warning, Virginia officials urged anyone at least 5 years old who has not been vaccinated to get vaccinated and those who had their last shot six months ago to get a booster shot.

4. Omicron Will Most Likely Hit Virginia

Although no cases have yet been detected in Virginia, officials believe it's only a matter of time.

"As we all know, when you have a virus that has already gone to multiple countries, inevitably, it will be here," Fauci told ABC's "This Week." "The question is, will we be prepared for it? And the preparation that we have ongoing for what we're doing now with the delta variant just needs to be revved up."

In partnership with the Virginia Department of General Services’ Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services (DCLS), the Virginia Department of Health said it will continue to monitor coronavirus samples in the state to identify new variants.

“In Virginia, we are fortunate to have a robust genetic sequencing program to determine quickly whether variants of concern are circulating in our communities,” said Dr. Denise Toney, director of DCLS, the state’s public health laboratory. “Our network of laboratories throughout the Commonwealth is committed to sequencing as many positive samples as possible.”

5. Is Omicron Stronger Than Delta?

Omicron is likely highly contagious, but it's unclear whether it will take delta's place as the most transmissible variant.

"What we don't know is whether it can compete with delta," Collins said in an interview with CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday.

Going into the winter and holiday season, the main concerns this year lie with those who remain unvaccinated against the coronavirus and the possibility that influenza could come roaring back after lying dormant last flu season, according to Dr. John Swartzberg, a professor of vaccinology and infectious disease at the University of California, Berkeley.

"We are going into a very unstable time now with the holidays coming up, with the weather colder and people being inside," Swartzberg said. "We know what happened last year. About 10 days after Thanksgiving, we saw just that horrific surge, and this year, the booster will help tremendously."

RELATED:

• WHO Says Omicron Variant Has Mutations That Are 'Concerning'
• Worrisome Omicron COVID Variant Rattles World Leaders: Here's Why
• New Omicron Variant Stokes World Fears, Triggers Travel Bans
• New COVID-19 Variant In South Africa: Explainer

The Associated Press contributed to this report.