omicron variant

Data from 78,000 South Africans with COVID show the Pfizer vaccine is far less effective in preventing infection by the omicron variant. But there is still significant protection from severe illness.

The Miami Herald reports that numerous sources confirmed the case was detected by a private lab in Doral after sequencing the variant in a sample it received Thursday.

On WGCU's Gulf Coast Live, two health experts discuss what’s known about the variant and offer ino about how COVID vaccinations and booster shots work.

Epidemiologist Dr. Greg Poland says Florida's low levels of screening for the omicron variant could be dangerous for the state, but people can protect themselves by getting vaccinated.

In small studies in South Africa and in Germany, the results indicate a marked decrease in the ability of vaccines to neutralize this variant. But there are other findings that are encouraging.

Officials say a patient at the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital had mild symptoms and recently returned from international travel. The St. Lucie case was also travel-related.

Omicron has many more mutations than previous variants of concern, a fact that raises questions about how effective existing vaccines will be against the new form of the coronavirus.

Many questions about omicron remain unanswered, including whether the virus causes milder illnesses and how much it might evade immunity from past COVID infections or vaccines.

Florida has screened just 4.5% of positive COVID tests for variants over the past six months. In contrast, California, which has traced six omicron cases, screened almost 15% during the same period.

The rapid emergence of the omicron variant of the coronavirus has many questioning whether they should rethink their holiday travel plans.