By: Sarah VonBerge

The information and understanding of the newest COVID-19 variant, called Omicron, is very limited, as the first case of it was only found about a month and a half ago in Botswana, and the first case in the United States was on December 1, 2021. This variant is more contagious than even the Delta variant, although the Omicron symptoms are more mild. Omicron is currently the most dominant strain, as 73% of new cases are from it.

Omicron hasn’t shown a few of the normal COVID symptoms, such as a loss of taste and smell, but it still has had some of the regular symptoms, such as muscle aches, itchy throat, and fatigue. A new symptom that hasn’t been seen in any of the other strains has been night sweats. People have said that the night sweats are so bad that they have had to get up and change their clothes since they are so drenched in sweat.

This new variant has roughly 50 new mutations as compared to the original COVID-19 virus, 30 of which are in the spike protein. The spike protein is the mRNA that is used in the vaccine to help fight the virus and cause your immune system to fight it. Luckily, however, there have been no mutations found in the T cells, which is your immune system‘s second layer of protection.

So far, Omicron has affected young people the most; of the new cases reported from December 23rd-29th, 16% were minors, 54% were ages 18-39, 25% were ages 40-64, and 5% were 65 and older. It only takes 2 days for infection to occur and for the infected person to be contagious and Omicron cases are doubling every 2-4 days. Currently, unvaccinated people have a 10 times higher risk of testing positive and a 20 times higher risk of dying as compared to vaccinated people.

The best ways to fight Omicron and all other strains of COVID right now are to get vaccinated, get a booster shot, wear your mask and get tested as soon as you think you might have contracted COVID from someone. “This is not March of 2020. We are not defenseless,” Governor Kathy Hochul of New York said.

Booster shots have been shown to raise protection to the virus by 80%. The CDC recommends anyone 5 years and older gets vaccinated and everyone older than 18 should get a booster after at least 2 months of getting their original vaccination. Even though vaccination is the best way to protect yourself, you should continue to wear a mask. Anyone can contract and spread the virus. Vaccinations lessen symptoms, but they do completely cure you of Omicron or the other strains of COVID.

For more information, please visit:

• https://www.cdc.gov/

By: Grace Blumer-Lamotte

We are currently living in a worldwide pandemic. This is a very unusual time that we have been put in. The future is unknown with the infection that is going on around the world. 

In order to get information on how to address the cases, it’s important to test for COVID-19. There are two different types of COVID-19 testing: diagnostic and antibody tests.

According to the FDA, “Diagnostic tests can show if you have an active COVID-19 infection and need to take steps to quarantine or self isolate. Antibody tests look for antibodies in your immune system produced in response to SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, but antibody tests should not be used to diagnose an active COVID-19 infection.”

There are two different types of COVID-19 tests. One is a saliva test. The saliva test is where you spit into a tube and then send it into testing. Saliva tests can be self-collected. They are as good as the nasal swabs, according to health care workers.

The second type of COVID-19 tests are the nasal swab. According to the Mayo Clinic, “A fluid sample is collected by inserting a long nasal swab (nasopharyngeal swab) into your nostril and taking fluid from the back of your nose or by using a shorter nasal swab (mid-turbinate swab) to get a sample.”

The saliva test is easier to perform because you can do it at home. The saliva test does not require interaction with a healthcare worker. For the long nasal swab you normally have to go to a testing site. 

Some commonly asked questions are: Do the tests hurt? When should I get tested? Which COVID-19 test should I take?

A COVID-19 nasal swab may cause some pain. If it is extremely painful, say something to the healthcare worker that is swabbing your nose. You may feel some discomfort when the test is being performed, but you shouldn’t feel any pain. 

If you begin to develop symptoms, you should consider getting tested right away. The CDC also encourages you to get tested every two weeks to be cautious. 

For which test to take, you should consider the situation you are in right now. If you need fast results, get a rapid test. According to UC Davis, in other instances, “A molecular PCR test is more appropriate. A PCR test can be used for asymptomatic testing or to confirm a positive antigen test.”