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What is happening with omicron?
Like anything else related to Covid, we are learning on-the-go, but there is new data that shows this pandemic thing isn’t over.
Evidence from the omicron wave tells the story of a sneaky variant that spreads super-fast (probably) and has 50 mutations, the most we’ve seen yet. Scientists think those mutations (likely) help the variant excel at breaking through the immune system, so it’s (maybe) really great at reinfecting people and (possibly even) breaking through mRNA vaccines.
BUT Pei-Yong Shi, a virologist at the University of Texas Medical Branch, has hope: “After the third dose of the vaccine, our antibody profile inside our body becomes more capable of blocking the variants,” he told NPR. “Our bodies create different antibodies that are much more able to push back on the variants.
Like a lot of people, we’re trying to master the balance of being careful with not freaking out, especially as these waves start to become a regular thing.
Speak to your doctor about your immunity and vaccine plan and keep up those masks. And hand-washing. Still important.
