The first case of the Omicron Variant in Louisiana has been confirmed by the Louisiana Department of Health. LDH said the individual in the Greater New Orleans area recently traveled within the US. State Health Officer Dr. Joe Kanter said the variant is significant because it has some 50 mutations from the original virus.
“Until we get more data and more time to see what happens we won’t have a more definitive answer about how transmissible it is and that’s a crucial, crucial question,” said Kanter.
Kanter said researchers are still gathering and reviewing data and there are still many unknowns, for example, is the Omicron variant resistant to current therapeutics we are using to treat COVID and/or the vaccines.
“We do know that the protection one gets from prior infection is incomplete and not as strong as the protection one gets, not as complete or durable as one gets from being fully vaccinated,” said Kanter.
Until there’s more data, Kanter said it’s hard to predict what kind of impact the Omicron variant will have in Louisiana. He said currently there are a lull in cases and hospitalizations in the state. The state has increased lab sequencing to detect the Omicron variant and the public should…
“We need to be using the time now to increase vaccinations across the state as much as possible and that also goes for people getting their booster shot,” said Kanter.
In Louisiana just below 50-percent of the population is fully vaccinated.
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