Weather Alert

Small Craft Advisory from MON 5:30 AM EDT until MON 10:00 AM EDT

Medical Experts Weigh In on What They Know So Far About the Omicron Variant, Including Which Masks are Effective

Jan 13, 2022
Jan 13, 2022 Updated Jan 17, 2022

Vaccine

With the Omicron variant spreading more rapidly than any other strain of COVID-19 and infecting those who are vaccinated, many wonder whether what we already know about fighting the virus still applies.

Omicron officially accounts for the majority of COVID-19 cases in the first state.

"78% now, at this point of our sequenced cases were Omicron, and the remaining 22% of sequenced cases were identified as Delta," said Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) Director, Dr. Karyl Rattay.

One Omicron rumor is that cloth masks don't protect against it. In Delaware's COVID-19 briefing earlier this week, Dr. Rattay explained why that's partially true.

"While we know and the studies show that cloth masks make a difference, because Omicron is so contagious, it’s really important that we step it up a little," Rattay said.

Experts say the most effective masks are multi-layered and snug on the face with no gaps and a wire on the nose. DPH recommends wearing a KN95 mask or doubling up on other kinds.

"Some experts are now suggesting that you either ditch the cloth masks or use a cloth mask over a surgical mask for a better protection and fit," Rattay said.

There's also speculation about why so many vaccinated people get Omicron and if a booster is worthwhile. Dr. James Trumble at TidalHealth says the extra antibodies from a booster are the best shot at preventing it.

"The real advantage to having a booster is that you’ve got that high antibody amount," Trumble said. "Whereas, if you had the vaccine a while ago or you're unvaccinated, you don’t have anything protecting you."

Speaking of antibodies, do natural antibodies go out the window if you already had another strain of COVID? Dr. Trumble says they don't know about that yet, but vaccine antibodies are designed to fight different variants.

"Even though these variants are changing a little bit, these antibodies provided by the vaccine are still working. You just need them in higher concentration against this newest variant," he said.

Experts also say Omicron symptoms are milder, but hospitals are the most overwhelmed they've been the entire pandemic.

Dr. Trumble says that while a smaller percentage of people with Omicron are hospitalized than they were for Delta, the total number of people infected by omicron is significantly greater and accounts for more hospitalizations.