TWV Podcast Episode 492: The Omicron Variant of Covid-19

In episode 492 of The Whole View podcast, Stacy and Dr. Sarah dive deep into the omicron variant of covid-19, including its mutations, where it likely came from (mice!), what makes it so transmissible, its symptoms and how they differ from previous variants, whether or not it’s actually more mild than other variants, how good of a job vaccines are doing at protecting us, and why this variant was able to displace the Delta variant.

If you enjoy the show, please review it on iTunes

Join Our Patreon!

Come join our Patreon family! You can support The Whole View podcast and hear what Dr. Sarah and Stacy really think about this topic in this week’s exclusive and uncensored behind-the-scenes bonus audio. We love connecting with our Patrons! It’s a direct line to submit your questions for upcoming shows, plus you also get access to some cool features like weekly bonus episodes and quarterly live video Q&As where you can ask Dr. Sarah and Stacy anything!

Recommended Reading and Listening

Citations

Pronouncing ‘Omicron’: ‘AH-muh-cron’ or ‘Oh-MY-cron’?

COVID Data Tracker Weekly Review | CDC

Understanding the Omicron variant’s mutations – The Washington Post

Evidence for a mouse origin of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant

Omicron variant and booster COVID-19 vaccines 

SARS-CoV-2 Omicron VOC Transmission in Danish Households

Initial Assessment of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant in Exhaled Breath Aerosol

Infectious viral load in unvaccinated and vaccinated patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 WT, Delta and Omicron | medRxiv

SARS-CoV-2 Omicron spike mediated immune escape, infectivity and cell-cell fusion | bioRxiv

Eurosurveillance | Outbreak caused by the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in Norway, November to December 2021

Investigation of a SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.529 (Omicron) Variant Cluster — Nebraska, November–December 2021 | MMWR

If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus – Harvard Health

SARS-CoV-2 Transmission From People Without COVID-19 Symptoms

Structural models of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in complex with ACE2 receptor or antibodies suggest altered binding interfaces | bioRxiv

High Rate of Asymptomatic Carriage Associated with Variant Strain Omicron | medRxiv

HKUMed finds Omicron SARS-CoV-2 can infect faster and better than Delta in human bronchus but with less severe infection in lung

What we know about the Omicron COVID-19 variant so far

Early assessment of the clinical severity of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in South Africa | medRxiv

Early signals of significantly increased vaccine breakthrough, decreased hospitalization rates, and less severe disease in patients with COVID-19 caused by the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 in Houston, Texas | medRxiv

Clinical outcomes among patients infected with Omicron (B.1.1.529) SARS-CoV-2 variant in southern California

Outcomes of laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in the Omicron-driven fourth wave compared with previous waves in the Western Cape Province, South Africa | medRxiv

SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and variants under investigation

Severity of Omicron variant of concern and vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic disease: national cohort with nested test negative design study in Scotland — University of Edinburgh Research Explorer

mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine boosters induce neutralizing immunity against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant – ScienceDirect

Effectiveness of 3 doses of COVID-19 vaccines against symptomatic COVID-19 and hospitalization in adults aged 65 years and older

Protection afforded by prior infection against SARS-CoV-2 reinfection with the Omicron variant

Omicron infection enhances neutralizing immunity against the Delta variant