ERIKA: THE NEW OMICRON VARIANT OF COVID-19 HAS BEEN DETECTED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MASSACHUTTS.SE BEN: THE PATIENT IS A WOMAN IN HER 20S FROM MIDDLESEX COUNTY. PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY HER SYMPTOMS SO FAR HAVE BEEN MILD. SHE ALSO WAS FULLY VACCINATED, AND HAD TRAVELED OUTF OSTATE, BUT NOT OUT OF THE COUNTRY. HERE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS IS .DR ROBIN COLGROVE, AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST AT MOUNT AUBURN HOSPIL.TA ERIKA: DR. COLGROVE, ARE ANY OF THOSE DETAILS SIGNIFICANT TO YOU? >> SHE HAS MILD DISSEEA IS ENCOURAGING. THIS IS STILL VERY EARLY DAYS. I DON’T THINK WE SHODUL EXTRAPOLATE A LOT. BEN: DYOO U THINK THE STATE NEEDS TO TEST EVERY NEW CASE OF COVID TO SEE HOW QUICKLY TSHI OMICRON VARIANT MAY BE SPREADING? >> SEQUENCING IS IMPORTANT F AOR NUMB OERF PUBLIC HEALTH REASONS. AT THIS POINT, WE DON’T NDEE TO SEQUENCE EVERY ISOLATE TO TRACK THIS VARIANT. THERE ARE SOME SIGLSNA THAT COME UP ON DETECTION WHITCR P MACHINES FOR THIS PARTICULAR RETAINER. T– VARIANT.THIS CASE, SHE HAD A DROPOUT OF ONE OF THE GENES THAT WAS A CLUE THAT THIS MIGHT BE GOGIN ON. IT WAS A TRIGGER TO SEQUENCE. THAT WOULD BE FOR NOW, A STRATEGY FOR WHICH ONES TO SEQUENCE. ERIKA: WE KNOW IT’S SO EARLY TO BE ANSWERING THESE QUESTIONS. RIGHT NOW, THE DELTA VARIANT CAUSES NEARLY 100% OF ALL NEW INFECTIONS IN THE U.S.HAVE YOU ENSE ANY EVIDENCE YET THAT OMICRON MAY BE ABLE TO OUT-COMPETE DELTA, AND BECOME THE DOMINANT VARIANT? >> IT’S STILL VERY EARLY DAYS. WE HAVE TO BE ABOUT EXSTRAP PLATING WTHA WE’RE SEEING IN SOUTH AFRICA TO WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IN MASSACHUSETTS. THE EVIDENCE FROM THERE SUGGEST THIS VARIANT TOOK OFF VERY RAPIDLY. EVEN MORE RAPIDLY THAN PREVIOUS VARIANTS WITH THE ALPHA VARIANT. WE’LL HAVE TO SEE. IN THIS COUNTRY WHERE THE CONDITIONS ARE DIFFERENT, VACCINATNIO LEVSEL ARE DIFFERENT AND TRANSMISSIONS ARE DIFFERENT. BEN: YOU TALK ABOUT STHOU AFRICA, THEY HAVE DIFFERENT VACCINATION RATE THAN WE DO. MANY HEALTH EXPERTS BELIEVE THE VACCINES OFFER AT LEAST SOME PROTECTION FROM OMICRON. BUT I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO MAY BE RELYING ON NATURAL IMMUNITY FROM A PAST COVID INFECTN.IO PERHAPSS A MYAN AS 40 MILLION ADULTS ARE NOT VACCINATED AT ALL. ARE THEIR RISK HIGHER NOW WITH OMICRON? >> SHORT ANSWER, WE D’TON KNOW. THE EARLY INDICATIONS ARE THAT YES, WE’RE SEEING HHEIGR RATES OF REINFECTION OF PREVIOUSLY INFECTED PEOPLE. IMMUNITY BY PREVIOUS INFECTION ARE NOT IRONCLAD. PEOPLE SHOULD NOT DEPEND ON A SENSEF O NATURAL IMMUNITY. THE VIRUS WILL NOT CARE WHAT YOU BELIEVE. WE WANT TO MAKE STRONG AS POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION THAT PEOPLE SHOULD GET VACCINATED AND GET BOOSTED TO PROTE

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Video: Can omicron overtake delta as dominant coronavirus variant?

Updated: 6:48 PM EST Dec 6, 2021

An infectious disease specialist in Massachusetts says evidence from South Africa shows the omicron variant took off even more rapidly than previous variants did.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. —

An infectious disease specialist in Massachusetts says evidence from South Africa shows the omicron variant took off even more rapidly than previous variants did.

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