Health Officials Tracking New 'Stealth' Omicron Variant Spreading In Europe, Detected In U.S.
NEW JERSEY (CBSNewYork) -- The first cases of a new Omicron subvariant are beginning to be seen in the Tri-State Area.
They arrived as an Appeals Court prepares to rule on the New York state mask mandate, CBS2's Dick Brennan reported Thursday.
The crucial hearing will be held Friday, as the court will hear more arguments to decide whether to eliminate the state-wide requirement to cover up.
"There are good points and bad points, but I think it's good in general for everybody wear masks," said Nicholas Ng of Massapequa.
A lower court struck down the mandate, but it was temporarily reinstated until the Appeals Court can rule.
"Everybody should do what they feel comfortable doing and if there is a mandate to wear a mask then I will certainly do it," said George Trapp of Hell's Kitchen.
COVID VACCINE
- New York State book online here or call 1-833-NYS-4-VAX
- New York City book online here or call 877-VAX-4NYC
- Track NYC vaccinations by zip code
- Nassau County more info here
- Suffolk County more info here
- Westchester County more info here
- New Jersey book online here or call 1-855-568-0545
- Connecticut book online here
The showdown on masks comes as a new Omicron subvariant has been detected, raising new fears.
Some scientists worry it could be more contagious, but say there's a lot they still don't know about it, CBS2's Meg Baker reported Thursday.
"They're giving it the name the 'stealth' variant because it's really, really easily transmissible," Dr. Perry Halkitis of Rutgers School of Public Health said.
The latest version of the coronavirus that scientists are calling BA.2 is considered stealthier than the original. It's genetic traits make it harder to detect and more contagious.
"We are putting up all these barriers for virus to transmit, like with vaccines and people having natural immunity and the combination of both," Halkitis said. "As the virus mutates, it's trying to find smarter ways to get in."
It is also harder to classify positive cases of the new variant as Omicron in PCR tests.
"The cause of concern is that it seems to be spreading very fast in some European countries, for example in Denmark, and they're already saying that it could be one and a half times more infectious than the Omicron," Epidemiologist Ayman El-Mohandes, dean of CUNY Graduate School of Public Health, said. "It represents more than half the cases, 60% of the cases. There is no indication that it's more severe than the original Omicron variant."
"As far as I know, it's been diagnosed in Washington state. It's been diagnosed in California and in Texas. But it will not surprise me at all that soon thereafter we will see it all over the country," he added.
CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
- Complete COVID Vaccine Coverage
- Vaccination Sites In New York City | Call 877-VAX-4NYC
- Track NYC Vaccinations By Zip Code
- Find NYC Testing Site Near You
- Check NYC Testing Wait Times
- CDC's COVID Vaccine FAQ
- CDC's COVID Tracking Map By County
- Resources: Help With Unemployment, Hunger, Mental Health & More
- Remote Learning Tools For Students And Parents At Home
El-Mohandes urged people to use common sense and remain vigilant, wear masks, avoid crowded places and stay home when feeling sick.
These strategies can help protect the most vulnerable, he said, like children younger than five (who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated), older adults and those who are immunocompromised.
Health officials continue to say the best protection from serious illness comes from being fully vaccinated and boosted.
CBS2's Dick Brennan and Meg Baker contributed to this report.