PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – As more and more cases of the newly discovered Omicron variant of the coronavirus are emerging worldwide, it has yet to reach the USA.
Doctors told KDKA that the new variant of COVID-19 is actually not at all surprising and that new variants of viruses are common.
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So here is what to expect in the coming months as the country prepares for another possible wave of COVID-19.
A growing number of countries are trying to figure out how to deal with the latest variant of COVID-19.
And local doctors are joining efforts to find out more details about the little-known variant of Omicron.
“We don’t know if it is more communicable, whether it causes more serious illnesses or not, and whether our current vaccines are as effective against this variant at reducing COVID,” said Dr. Arvind Venkat.
Dr. Arvind Venkat is an emergency doctor with the Allegheny Health Network.
He said virus evolution is widespread.
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And it’s very likely that current containment measures like vaccines and wearing masks will reduce transmission.
“The danger is that people will throw their hands and say there will be another variation and so there is nothing I can do to protect myself. I’ll just go about my business without protecting myself. “
But Venkat said don’t expect a variation of Covid to go anywhere anytime soon.
“The honest message for everyone is that we will not reach COVID Zero. In the history of medicine, we have never completely got rid of a respiratory virus. “
However, he said that we can go back to our normal lives with minimal concern.
“What we can do is learn to protect ourselves and live with it and lead a life that is as normal as possible. If we can increase our vaccination rates and our spiked vaccination rates, if we can continue to test and make our genome sequences available more quickly, and we all recognize that this is a common goal to move forward with. “
From a medical perspective, Venkat said that it’s not the evolving variants of COVID that are causing mental exhaustion, but dealing with people who don’t protect themselves.
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He said anyone would be able to get the vaccine and booster, and the fewer people they need to treat in the emergency room, the better.
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