ATLANTA — Doctors in Georgia said they are concerned about the new coronavirus variant named omicron. However, they are also hopeful that steps already taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19 will be effective with the variant.
What’s unclear is whether the omicron variant will be more communicable or more lethal than delta or other variants of the coronavirus.
Dr. Carlos del Rio at Emory University believes people who are fully vaccinated and who have gotten booster shots will be able to withstand the new variant. Emory released a video of del Rio speaking with an Emory epidemiologist this afternoon.
“You need to do anything different. If you continue masking, if you continue" hand washing and social distancing indoors, del Rio said. "But more importantly, if you haven’t been vaccinated get vaccinated. And if you’ve been vaccinated, get boosted."
Dr. Jodie Guest asked del Rio if there was a reason to believe vaccinations won’t work against the variant.
"Talking to vaccine specialists, people who actually look at this and immunologists, they say the vaccines should work," del Rio said.
No omicron variant cases in Georgia have been identified, but it's "likely just a matter of time before we identify a case in Georgia," said Dr. Alex Millman, chief medical officer of the Georgia Department of Public Health.
Del Rio at Emory also said testing is more important with the new variant – especially with holiday travel likely to take place later in December. He recommended testing before and after traveling. Millman said travel can be safe if the traveler stays vigilant.
"I would not recommend cancelling Christmas plans at this time," Millman said.
And del Rio said he thinks current vaccines will be at least partially effective against the omicron variant. Experts said the variant can infect those unvaccinated as well as those vaccinated, but those who have taken the shots seem to have a mild illness
Doctors are stressing that the best way to fight the variant is to get vaccinated or get a booster shot.