B.C. experts give tips on coping with discovery of Omicron COVID-19 variant

As Canada cuts off travel from seven different countries in southern Africa due to the new Omicron variant of COVID-19, a professor and a Canada 150 researcher at Simon Fraser University, Carolyn Colijin, agrees the potential arrival of the variant is worrisome.

“It does have some really concerning looking mutations, and so I think it’s that mutational profile and also the rise in the number of cases detected in South Africa that are really making it something to have on our radar,” she said.

She and her team have been looking at the sequences to determine which qualities Omicron shares with other variants and what makes it unique.

2/7 This variant, first reported in South Africa and scientifically known as B.1.1.529, was today designated as a #VariantOfConcern by @WHO and officially named #Omicron.https://t.co/Ukgrvza9n7

— Dr. Theresa Tam (@CPHO_Canada) November 26, 2021

“We’d look at the rates of travel and travel measures to try and understand with modelling how long we have until it comes here. What are we doing? How can we extend that gap?” she said.

“If it’s likely to be more transmissible, could that just be an effect of it happening in a place where cases were growing anyway? Or is that case growth really due to viral factors in this new variant of concern?”

So far, their research has shown that it’s possible the Omicron variant interacts with our immune systems differently, which needs to be considered by immunologists and other healthcare professionals hoping to keep people safe.

“Those are things on the radar, but we don’t know on the population level if those will really happen because we haven’t seen enough cases and we don’t have those links,” said Coljin.

The federal government has put a temporary ban on travel from Sub-Saharan Africa in order to delay the arrival of this new variant in Canada.

While it’s possible Omicron could infect highly vaccinated individuals, Coljin says it’s too early to say whether or not that’s true for certain.

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“From what we know now, the variants that we have do not substantially evade our immunization. Delta is much more transmissible than alpha, and it can cause breakthrough infections, but it’s not because of reduced efficacy of the vaccines,” she said.

While there’s some evidence for vaccines waning in efficacy among the elderly and immunocompromised, she says there’s no cause for concern.

“It’s looking good. It’s not changing with the variant,” she said.

“With respect to the Omicron variant, I think we should really appreciate the work of the public health labs and the genomic surveillance team in South Africa …. As we think about travel measures, as we think about our own surveillance programs, what would happen if this emerged in Canada, this is exactly the kind of program that we need in order to be alert to variants.”

For those exhausted by the arrival of another variant, Clinical Counsellor Dr. Natasha Ghosh has recommendations for staying mentally well during the continuation of the pandemic.

“One of the reasons that something like that is difficult as human beings is we like certainty, and this is a very uncertain, chaotic situation that creates fear. It’s a safety threat to our health, to our well-being, to our lives, and we aren’t seeing the end of it,” she said. “Then all of a sudden the other shoe drops and it creates more uncertainty.”

There is no sign the Omicron variant has been introduced here in BC, according to Dr. Bonnie Henry who says the province will work with the Public Health Agency of Canada and CBSA to identify anyone recently returned from the areas of concern to arrange testing. #bcpoli #COVID19 https://t.co/hKEtlaWQ3H

— John Ackermann (@jackermann) November 26, 2021

Don’t lose hope, she urges disheartened Canadians.

“Hope is our greatest ally in this, and as we start losing hope, that marathon just feels harder to run,” said Ghosh. “One of the tricks to manage this marathon is going to be the re-narrating, reconsidering of this story that we’re telling. Is the storytelling us things are coming to an end, or is the story we’re telling reflective of what things are right now, and how do we manage what’s happening?”

It takes more than just positive thinking to persevere, though. Ghosh suggests focusing on what is important to you and considering how you can spread hope regardless of global events.

Take a break from the news if necessary, and limit doom scrolling to a minimum, she urges.

“Think about where you want to start focusing your attention — so finding time to connect with others, finding time to go out for a walk in nature, finding time to be grateful for what we do have, because we’ve been through so much already,” she said.

“Reflect on that and see your courage, your persistence, your resistance to all of the things that have been happening. You’ve made it this far, and focus on that rather than the uncertain future we have no control over.”

More information on the Omicron variant, how it binds, and what it does in experiments will be coming as Coljin and her team continue their research.