Omicron may require fourth vaccine dose sooner than expected, Pfizer says

The new omicron variant increases the likelihood that people will need a fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine earlier than expected, executives at pharmaceutical giant Pfizer said.

Boosters are likely to help control the variant, according to the company, but lab experiments suggest Pfizer-BioNTech’s standard two-dose regime still provides some protection against omicron, reducing the chances of severe illness from the virus.

Albert Bourla, Pfizer’s chief executive, had expected that a fourth dose might be needed 12 months after a third shot. But he said Wednesday on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” that the timeline might need to be moved up. One of the company’s top scientists also told Bloomberg that there was a need to distribute a fourth shot, possibly one specifically targeting omicron. (Scientists at the World Health Organization have said there is “right now” no evidence that a tailored vaccine is needed.)

Across America, many of the nearly 50 million people infected with the coronavirus continue to suffer from some persistent symptoms, with a smaller subset experiencing such unbearable fatigue and other maladies that they can’t work, forcing them to drop out of the workforce, abandon careers and rack up huge debts.

“They are suffering in dramatic ways, and in ways that have altered their lives and placed them in financial peril,” said Harlan Krumholz, a cardiologist and scientist at Yale University and Yale New Haven Hospital.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) recommended mouthwash as a treatment for the coronavirus during a town hall meeting Wednesday, immediately drawing criticism for suggesting gargling would offer protection.

The senator has been criticized for spreading conspiracy theories about the coronavirus and has promoted the use of drugs that have shown little to no evidence that they are effective in treating covid-19. YouTube this year suspended his account for violating the company’s medical misinformation policies. He has also expressed skepticism about the efficacy of coronavirus vaccine mandates and doses, which have undergone vigorous health testing.

The first known case of the omicron variant in Virginia was found in a resident from the northwestern region of the state who had recently traveled domestically — but not internationally — officials said Thursday.

The latest troubling strain of the coronavirus was first detected last month in South Africa and has since been flagged in 21 U.S. states and jurisdictions, including three cases in Maryland.

“We knew it was only a matter of time before we would record our first omicron infection in the Commonwealth,” state Health Commissioner M. Norman Oliver said in a statement. “This drives home the challenge the COVID-19 virus presents to the world as the virus changes and mutates over time.”

Amid a surge in coronavirus cases, nearly 300 Wisconsin hospitals and long-term care facilities have requested staffing help and the state is seeking medical reserve teams from the federal government, a state health official said.

Speaking during a Wednesday briefing, Department of Health Services Secretary-designee Karen Timberlake said more than 270 facilities had asked for assistance caring for patients. She said the state is requesting five teams of up to 20 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Those teams would be dispersed throughout the state, supporting hospitals, and especially intensive care units, that are under strain.

President Biden said Thursday that he was encouraged by the effectiveness of the third dose of the vaccine against the omicron variant. And he called on everyone to get the booster shot as he met with his health team on the pandemic.

“America is making progress,” Biden said from the White House. “We’ve got a lot of work to do. But we’re going to get through this.”

“And we’re going to be okay,” he added.

As of Wednesday, more than 200 million people have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus in the United States — about 60 percent of the population.

President Biden announced last week that rapid coronavirus tests were a pillar of his plan to fight the new and potentially more transmissible omicron variant, now confirmed in at least 21 states.

But nearly a year into his administration, the availability of low-cost coronavirus tests that return results in as little as 15 minutes remains an oft-promised but still unrealized capability in large swaths of the country — a far cry from the situation in countries such as Britain and Singapore where the government purchased the kits last spring and distributed millions of them free or at low cost.

The omicron variant of the coronavirus has been detected in California wastewater, suggesting it is circulating, according to officials.

The state’s wastewater surveillance system found signs of the variant in Sacramento and Merced counties, state epidemiologist Erica Pan said during a Tuesday discussion hosted by the California Medical Association. The discovery was made before any cases were confirmed in those counties.

“We definitely are seeing omicron across the state for sure,” Pan said.

Similar monitoring found hints of the omicron variant in Houston, city officials announced Monday. As in Sacramento and Merced counties, no infections had been confirmed in a resident at the time of the discovery. Officials called the detection the “first indication the new variant is in Houston.” Days later, a Houston hospital said it had identified eight cases.