Do We Need Another COVID-19 Vaccine? Omicron vs. Delta COVID-19 Variants: Do We Need Another Vaccine?

Since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Omicron version as a COVID-19 variant of concern last week, it has dominated headlines.

With that in mind, it's only logical to question how Omicron stacks up against the Delta variety, which has been the standard in the United States—and much of the rest of the world—for months. Delta is presently responsible for 99.9% of COVID-19 infections in the United States, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Experts believe that Omicron possesses a few crucial mutations that might allow it to outcompete Delta.

The WHO said in a statement last week that a rapid rise in COVID cases in South Africa, where Omicron was first discovered, coincided with the discovery of the new variant, implying that Omicron may be able to unseat Delta as the main COVID-19 variant.

While there's still a lot we don't know about Omicron, there's enough material out there to suggest that, like Delta, this isn't a variety to dismiss. Here's all you need to know about the differences between Omicron and Delta.

Delta vs. Omicron

The viruses that cause COVID-19, Omicron and Delta, are both variations of the original SARS-CoV-2 virus. "This virus multiplies millions of times every time it infects a new individual." That allows it to evolve," explains William Schaffner, M.D., a neurologist. M.D., an infectious disease expert and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine professor. "Occasionally, you get a variety when that happens."

According to Dr. Schaffner, most variations are dead-end mutations, meaning they don't do much. "But every now and then you get a mutation, or a succession of mutations, that changes the virus's nature," he explains. "It's like finding out you've got a new relative." Although it appears to be linked to your family, it has its own personality and features."

According to the CDC, the Delta variation is more than twice as infectious as earlier COVID-19 variants, and it may cause more severe disease in unprotected persons than prior versions.

According to the WHO, the Omicron variety contains a "high number of mutations," and it appears to be more prone to reinfect patients who have already been infected with COVID-19. "Many of those alterations affect the spike protein, which is a vital element of the virus that helps it to enter our cells and make us ill," explains Dr. Schaffner. What's uncertain right now is whether Omicron is as infectious as Delta or perhaps more so.

Is Omicron a worse octahedron than Delta?

"We don't know," says Thomas Russo, M.D., professor and chief of infectious disease at the University of Buffalo in New York. However, he points out that Omicron's spike protein contains a lot of mutations, which is what SARS-CoV-2 exploits to enter your cells. "Those mutations are the reason people are worried," he explains. "However, are the"However, are the mutations pointing in the wrong direction, or will they cancel each other out?" We simply don't know."

M.D. Amesh A. Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, concurs. "Omicron has several unique mutations, as well as mutations that have been reported in other variations but not in Delta," he explains. "We don't have enough data to conclude if this version is worse than Delta." When it comes to avoiding major sickness, our vaccinations may be able to manage both."

Delta vs. Omicron Symptoms

Regardless of mutations, COVID-19 symptoms have remained quite consistent in general. According to the CDC, they include:

• Chills or a fever

• Cough

• Breathing problems or shortness of breath

• Fatigue

• Aches in the muscles or throughout the body

• Headache

• New olfactory or gustatory impairment

• Throat irritation

• Congestion or a runny nose are both symptoms of congestion.

• Vomiting or nausea

• Diarrhea

Although data on Omicron is still limited, one doctor who has treated Omicron patients told the BBC that the mutation has resulted in "very modest symptoms" thus far.

She also mentioned that the symptoms were a little different from other COVID-19 strains.

"It started with a male patient around the age of 33... and he stated to me that he's simply been incredibly weary for the past few days and he's had these body aches and pains with a bit of a headache," Angelique Coetzee, M.D., chair of the South African Medical Association, told the BBC.There was a "scratchy throat" but no cough or loss of taste or smell in the patient. Dr. Coetzee said she tested the guy and his family for COVID-19, and they all tested positive. She also saw a few additional people with comparable symptoms that day.

"What we're seeing clinically in South Africa—and remember, I'm working at the heart of this—is incredibly mild, for us [these are] minor instances." We haven't accepted anyone, and I've spoken with other colleagues who have given me the same impression," she added.

Dr. Coetzee, on the other hand, remarked that the majority of the patients she had examined were young and apparently healthy people. "It's critical to have a larger sample size, including individuals who are at higher risk for severe disease, before we can determine the clinical spectrum of illness," Dr. Adalja adds. "However, the fact that individuals who are hospitalized are often unvaccinated is heartening."

"There isn't enough clinical evidence to say anything conclusive about how symptoms could change with this variation," he says. But I'm guessing they'll all be in the same ballpark."

Are the COVID vaccinations now available effective against Omicron?

This is a big question mark as well. "Omicron has mutations that are similar to the Beta and Gamma versions, which are more vaccine resistant," Dr. Russo explains. That's alarming, he adds, and might explain why Moderna's CEO told the Financial Times that existing vaccinations against Omicron might not be as effective. "I don't think there's a scenario where [effectiveness] is at the same level...as [the] Delta [version]," said Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel. Bancel also expected that effectiveness would "materially decrease." "I just don't know how much," he explained, "since we need to wait for the statistics." "However, every scientist I've talked to says, 'This isn't going to work.'"

However, in South Africa, COVID-19 immunization rates are low, and Omicron instances appear to be mostly among those who have not received the vaccine. According to Dr. Russo, getting a booster dosage, which the CDC now advises for all Americans over the age of 18, should help. "Booster injections raise neutralizing antibodies by a factor of ten," he explains. "Will that buffer be sufficient to provide us with a meaningful level of protection?" We haven't figured it out yet."

However, according to Dr. Adalja, Omicron may be able to avoid the vaccination to some extent. "Of all the variations, this one looks to be the closest to the point where a reformulation [of the vaccine] would be required if it spreads more broadly and becomes a problem," he adds.

COVID-19 vaccines are currently being developed.

It's uncertain if they'll be needed, but COVID-19 vaccine developers claim they're already working on vaccinations that target Omicron specifically. Moderna's Chief Medical Officer Paul Burton told NBC News that his business has already begun working on it, while Pfizer and BioNTech both stated they could create an Omicron vaccine in six weeks. The firms stated that initial batches will be available to ship within 100 days if needed.

In a news statement, Johnson & Johnson also stated that if necessary, it can develop an Omicron-specific vaccination.

With all of the recent news about Omicron, physicians caution that there are many unknowns, including whether the virus will spread further or fade out.

"At the end of the day," Dr. Russo adds, "I think we're going to be OK." "I don't believe the sky is about to fall."