There are six reported cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in Manitoba, with one individual experiencing mild symptoms..But the number of cases could jump to 1,000 per day by January if the highly transmissible Omicron becomes the dominant variant, claimed Chief Provincial Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin Wednesday..Time will tell if this is an accurate projection based on his reading of the pattern of Omicron’s spread in other jurisdictions..In the meantime, Roussin told Manitobans to rethink Christmas holiday plans, decrease personal contact, and get vaccinations and booster shots..“Once we see this spreading in the community, we are weeks away from it being our dominant strain. We need to act now to decrease the impact of this very concerning variant,” said Roussin..“You need to be very, very careful about your plans to gather. There should not be large gatherings,” he said. “We need to decrease our personal contacts.”.Of the six confirmed Omicron cases, two are travel-related, and four close contacts..“Two of those cases were fully immunized and asymptomatic,” said Roussin in a media briefing..The remaining four were in unvaccinated people, with one individual being mildly symptomatic..“We don’t have many cases here so we don’t have data that we can rely on. What we’re doing here is plotting out what would Manitoba look like if we followed the same pattern we’ve seen in other jurisdictions and there’s no real reason to think we wouldn’t.”.Omicron cases in the United Kingdom have been doubling every three days as opposed to 34 days for the Delta variant, said Roussin..“You can see how rapidly Omicron would take over as out dominant strain. That rapid case rise …this is going to result in increased hospitalizations and ICU.”.But then Roussin said that the severity of Omicron is still unknown..And the double dose that everyone was told would defeat COVID-19 doesn’t always apply anymore. .Features of the new variant and waning immunity are factors, said Dr. Joss Reimer, Manitoba’s vaccine implementation task force medical lead..“More than ever the time to get your next dose is now,” said Reimer. “We’re all living in a time of rising COVID-19 case counts and waning immunity in our communities and around our family dinner tables,” she said..Reimer insisted COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective, but “no vaccine offers 100% protection” due to factors including health and age..“So, while being fully immunized provides excellent protection, it doesn’t mean that every single person who is fully immunized shares the same level of protection. Over time, our immune response will decline. This is normal and this happens with our immune response to any infection or vaccine.”.Reimer said data suggests people who’ve built a natural immunity from a COVID-19 infection may not be as protected from Omicron as with other variants..“Omicron also has some features that scientists are concerned may make the vaccines less effective, but what we know to be true is that the vaccines still help to protect you, especially against severe outcomes..“For people who are immunocompromised, if you got your third dose because you are immunocompromised you should still receive another booster like everyone else six months after your last dose.”.On Wednesday two deaths and 206 new cases of COVID-19 were reported. The number of hospitalized rose by four to 139, with 34 in ICU..The federal government has not yet responded to a recent request by the province to send 15 to 30 ICU nurses to help for up to six weeks..Slobodian is the Senior Manitoba Columnist for the Western Standard.lslobodian@westernstandardonline.com
