SWFL doctors learning more about omicron variant

COVID-19 cases are rising in Southwest Florida and, now, it’s omicron.

Dr. David Lindner has followed the COVID-19 pandemic for the past two years. Now, as the omicron variant pushes to the forefront, he shares new information with his team at NCH and with WINK News.

David Lindner is the director of the NCH COVID-19 task force. “We’re seeing increasing cases. We see people who are having breakthrough infections, infections after having COVID, and infections after having the vaccine,” Lindner said.

People who haven’t had COVID-19 or any vaccinations are at the greatest risk of contracting this contagious strain. Many people want to know how effective the vaccines are in people who have been fully vaccinated and had a booster.

“The mRNA vaccines do appear to be faring much better 50 to 85%, depending on the data. So they seem to be the best against it,” said Dr. Lindner.

People also want to know what impact the newly-FDA-approved antiviral pill might have on the omicron variant. “There are several new treatments coming. The oral medications that have been… been worked on. And these have a somewhat broader-based effectiveness against the coronavirus, and so it is hopeful,” said Dr. Lindner.

There is no local virus-sequencing, so local doctors now assume all cases are of the omicron variant. “The important thing to be asking is, ‘does that change what I do for them with that?’ I would not treat an omicron patient any different than I would treat a delta patient,” said Lindner.

A subtle difference between the omicron variant and the delta variant is that people with omicron are less likely to lose their sense of taste and smell.