Omicron Variant Hits The U.S.: Is New Jersey Ready?

NEW JERSEY — The first positive case for the omicron variant of the coronavirus has been reported in the U.S. on Wednesday. With "the variant of concern" hitting our home turf, is New Jersey ready?

New Jersey health experts believe we are in a better position this time around to test and identify the omicron variant.

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"Given the unique signature generated by this variant PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests are able to identify the omicron variant. This will help lead to efficient detection of this variant while further sequencing is being performed," said NJ Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli during a news conference Monday.

Chief Scientific Officer for Hackensack Meridian Health(HMH) David Perlin agreed that he believes New Jersey is in a better position.

HMH, the largest healthcare network in the State that covers a large population and geographic distribution, has been working in partnership with Quest diagnostics over the past nine months to evaluate all virus-positive nasal swabs for virus variants.

"Using this system, we have evaluated thousands of viruses. The data is evaluated rapidly and reported within our network, as well as to the [New Jersey Department Of Health]. We also have partnerships with the NJDOH and NY Genome Center to sequence viruses to confirm our rapid variant testing and evaluate local evolution of viruses," said Perlin.

Currently, Persichilli said the state's lab and state's commercial labs are sequencing about 1,200 specimens a week. Sequencing decodes the genes in the specimen to learn more about the virus and how it changes over time.

The omicron variant was first identified last week in South Africa. Since then clusters of cases were also identified in about two dozen nations, including Canada and several countries in Europe.

As of Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a person in California was the first in the U.S. to test positive for the omicron variant of the coronavirus. The patient was fully vaccinated and had returned from South Africa on Nov. 22, the San Francisco Department of Health said. Read More: 1st U.S. Omicron Variant Case Detected In CA

With the variant swiftly spreading, timing is of the essence. Perlin's lab has developed and implemented rapid molecular detection technology that can identify the major virus variants, including Omicron, in just over 1 hour.

"We can evaluate hundreds of viruses per day," said Perlin.

Much mystery surrounds the newly identified variant, which was dubbed a "variant of concern" by the World Health Organization(WHO) on Friday.

Persichilli said studies are underway to evaluate the transmissibility, the severity, and reinfection risk of the variant.

"For now, it is unclear whether Omicron will compete or overtake Delta in terms of transmission. Initial reports suggest that Omicron infections are mild, but we will need to see if that continues with new infections. It is just too early," said Perlin.

To protect against this new variant the WHO recommended accelerating COVID-19 vaccination coverage as rapidly.

"Increasing our booster uptake will be vital in blunting the impact of this and any other new variant that may occur. Booster doses provide essential protection with waning immunity and particularly the delta variant having a significant impact in New Jersey," said Persichilli.

Persichilli stressed the importance of boosters as she pointed to a recent science magazine study that found the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to decrease from 86.4 percent effectiveness to 13.1 percent, Moderna from 89.2 percent to 58 percent, and Pfizer from 86.9 percent to 43.3 percent.

As of Monday, about 29 percent of those eligible for a booster have received one in New Jersey.

"We need to increase that percentage, protect ourselves and our loved ones especially with the holidays drawing closer," said Persichilli. "Receiving a booster now ensures protection among the upcoming holiday season."

To find a vaccine location click here.

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