Episode 44: Are We There Yet? COVID, Omicron and the Year Ahead
For our final episode of TGen Talks in 2021, our host, Karie Dozer, sat down with TGen North Director, Dr. David Engelthaler, who has led TGen’s research into COVID since day one. Dr. Engelthaler shares his thoughts on Omicron … what we know, what’s left to learn, and why it’s spreading so fast. While it may be a bit early to predict how Omicron will play out in the U.S., it appears to follow trends seen with other variants and is on pace to replace Delta as the most dominant variant, which may not be all bad news, particularly if it produces symptoms that are milder than its predecessors. Dr. Engelthaler also discusses which states seem to be hit the hardest, how that changes week-by-week, immunity against Omicron for the fully vaccinated, and how a strong cellular immunity helps prevent serious illness. All this and more in just eighteen minutes on TGen Talks.