Featured Headlines
‘Exponential growth’ of Omicron cases in South Africa – MedNewsToday
According to Dr. Michelle Groome of South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), there has been an “exponential increase” in SARS-CoV-2 infections in South Africa during the past 2 weeks. Last Wednesday, South Africa registered 1,275 cases. The number of cases it registered yesterday was 8,561.
Statistical analysis of some 2.8 million positive coronavirus samples in South Africa, 35,670 of which were suspected to be reinfections, led researchers to conclude that the omicron mutation has a “substantial ability to evade immunity from prior infection.”
Key Omicron Findings May Be Known in Days – Bloomberg
Urgent studies to understand how effective Covid vaccines are against omicron have begun in a global collaboration that may yield answers in a few days, a World Health Health Organization scientist said. Some 450 researchers around the world have begun work to isolate the highly mutated variant from patient specimens, grow it in the lab, verify its genomic sequence, and establish methods to test it in blood-plasma samples, said Ana-Maria Henao-Restrepo, who co-leads the WHO’s research and development blueprint for vaccines and innovations during outbreaks and pandemics.
We Know Almost Nothing About the Omicron Variant – The Atlantic
Omicron, also known as B.1.1.529, was first detected in Botswana and South Africa earlier this month, and very little is known about it so far. But the variant is moving fast. South Africa, the country that initially flagged Omicron to WHO this week, has experienced a surge of new cases—some reportedly in people who were previously infected or vaccinated—and the virus has already spilled across international borders into places such as Hong Kong, Belgium, Israel, and the United Kingdom. Several nations are now selectively shutting down travel to impede further spread. For instance, on Monday, the United States will start restricting travel from Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Malawi.
Dutch health authorities announced on Tuesday that they found the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus in cases dating back as long as 11 days, indicating that it was already spreading in western Europe before the first cases were identified in southern Africa. The RIVM health institute said it found Omicron in samples dating from November 19 and 23.
How bad is Omicron? What scientists know so far – Nature
COVID researchers are working at breakneck speed to learn about the variant’s transmissibility, severity and ability to evade vaccines. Omicron’s rapid rise in South Africa is what worries researchers most, because it suggests the variant could spark explosive increases in COVID-19 cases elsewhere. On 1 December, South Africa recorded 8,561 cases, up from the 3,402 reported on 26 November and several hundred per day in mid-November, with much of the growth occurring in Gauteng Province, home to Johannesburg.
Why Top Virologist Is Concerned About Omicron – MedPageToday
Other variants including Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta have had “maybe eight or 10 mutations in the spike protein, and that’s largely what’s given them their advantageous phenotype. Omicron comes … perhaps from an immunocompromised individual, with 30 mutations in the spike protein.”
First Omicron Case Detected in the U.S. – MedPageToday
NIAID Director Anthony Fauci, stated that UCSF examined the person, who was in South Africa for a week and returned on November 22. The individual tested positive a week later. Fauci added that while the person was vaccinated, they were not boosted “to my knowledge.”
New York State confirms five cases of the Omicron variant – NYT
A 67-year-old woman in Suffolk County who returned from South Africa, had mild symptoms and had received at least one dose of a vaccine; two residents of Queens; one resident of Brooklyn and another person who lives in New York City and had traveled recently. The woman in Suffolk County tested positive on Nov. 30.
The mystery of where omicron came from — and why it matters – NPR
The discovery of the omicron variant of the coronavirus — which has a high number of concerning mutations — has kicked off a frenzy of research. Scientists are racing to figure out how transmissible this variant is and how resistant to vaccines it is.
Nigeria confirmed its first cases of the omicron coronavirus variant Wednesday, according to a statement from the country’s public health institute, including one case in a sample dating back to October, suggesting the variant had been circulating for weeks before being reported in South Africa last week.
Omicron Up Close: South Africa’s Experts Tell Their Stories – Bloomberg
“Anecdotally, we are seeing a lot of reinfections. What we don’t know at the moment, because we haven’t got the data yet, is how many of those people are un-vaccinated versus the vaccinated.”
Vaccine Headlines
Evolving mutations that evade immune defenses – Harvard Gazette
New study models future SARS-CoV-2 mutations and forecasts their ability to evade immune defenses developed by vaccines and antibody-based treatments
Get a Booster Now and Don’t Wait for Omicron Shot, Experts Say – Bloomberg
The highly mutated strain raises new questions about how well existing Covid-19 vaccines will hold up. But the experts cited a range of reasons for getting an additional dose now, including a lack of sufficient data about omicron, growing evidence about the benefits of boosters and the months that reformulated shots will likely take to become available.
Omicron Won’t Ruin Your Booster – The Atlantic
If it doesn’t happen with this variant, it’ll happen with the next one, or maybe the next. Some version of this coronavirus is bound to flummox our vaccines. In the past two years, SARS-CoV-2 has hopscotched across the globe, rejiggering its genome to better coexist with us. The latest coronavirus contender, Omicron, has more than 50 mutations, making it the most heavily altered coronavirus variant of concern that researchers have identified to date. Even in the fully vaccinated, at least a few antibodies will likely be stumped, and at least a few cells infected. Our collective defenses may soon bear an Omicron-shaped dent.
Clinical Considerations
Severe Covid-19 Doubles Risk Of Death In The Year After Illness, Study Finds – Forbes
Survivors of severe Covid-19 are more than twice as likely to die over the following year than those who experienced milder symptoms or remained uninfected, according to new research published in Frontiers in Medicine, suggesting serious infections may cause significant damage to long-term health and underscoring the protection offered by vaccines.
Official Reporting for Friday December 3, 2021
World Health Organization
Weekly Epi Update November 30th (latest release)
New Cases: 646,824
Confirmed Cases: 262,866,050
Deaths: 5,224,519
Johns Hopkins
Confirmed Cases: 264,395,908
Deaths: 5,238,447
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Total cases: 48,628,787 (+129,818 New Cases)
Total deaths: 781,963 (+1,546 New Deaths)
Science and Tech
Antibodies from COVID-19 vaccine may reduce by 57% after 6 months – MedNewsToday
In a new study, researchers have found that the antibodies that the body produces in response to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine reduce significantly in number in just 6 months. [Related pre-print study]
Preclinical data demonstrate sotrovimab, authorised in multiple countries around the world, retains activity against all tested variants of concern, including key mutations of Omicron
Some experts suggest Omicron variant may have evolved in an animal host – STAT
When Covid-19 variants arise, the accepted wisdom is that the constellation of mutations they contain developed in an immunocompromised person who contracted the virus and couldn’t shake the infection. But some scientists have an alternative theory for where the latest variant of concern, Omicron, may have acquired the unusual mutations that stud its spike protein.
Omicron ‘astonishing to behold,’ says Hanage – Harvard Gazette
Harvard epidemiologist shares early impression of variant as first U.S. case is identified in California. Hospitalizations in South Africa are tracking up in a way very similar to previous waves, but lagging behind what looks like a truly extraordinary increase in Omicron cases.
Prior Infection Is Little Defense Against Virus Variant, Scientists Say – NYT
Evidence from South Africa, where the Omicron variant already dominates, shows a high rate of reinfection of people who have already had the coronavirus.
Scientists are combing through coronavirus samples to see how widespread omicron is – NPR
Scientists are scouring coronavirus samples for clues of the omicron variant. The U.S. is in a better position now than it was earlier to find the variant, but some part of the country may struggle.
How Pfizer developed a COVID pill in record time – NPR
Two new drugs are awaiting authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for treating patients with COVID-19, and both may be effective against the omicron variant.
Psychological and Sociological Impact
Published Research
Misinformation, Disinformation, and Conspiracy Theories
‘Magic dirt’: How the internet fueled, and defeated, the pandemic’s weirdest MLM – NBC News
Black Oxygen Organics became a sudden hit in the fringe world of alternative medicines and supplements, where even dirt can go for $110 a bag.
Coping with COVID
