Trenton-New Jersey confirmed the latest COVID-19 variant, and as expected, omicron was also found in about one-third of the country over the weekend.

New Jersey confirmed the first case of this variant on Friday night. Governor Phil Murphy and State Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli announced that this is a vaccinated Georgia resident who recently traveled to South Africa, then returned to his hometown, and then to New Jersey .

Murphy said that since testing positive on November 28, she has been experiencing "moderate" symptoms and is recovering after receiving treatment in the North Jersey emergency room.

Earlier Friday, New York City health officials announced that an attendee had also been confirmed to have the novel coronavirus.

According to the Associated Press, as of Sunday, 7 cases have been confirmed in New York City, and 1 case has been confirmed in Long Island. The Associated Press also stated that a man in his 30s from Philadelphia became the first case in Pennsylvania.

"The Omicron variant is among us and we need to take steps to stop its spread. It is vital that residents stay as vigilant as possible while we wait for more information about the variant," Murphy said in a written statement Say.

The following is a list of popular questions and answers about the latest COVID variants, such as does it seem to spread more easily and the vaccine still seems to be effective against it?

On November 26, the World Health Organization named Omicron a variant of concern after it was discovered by South African scientists.

As confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States also classified it as a variant of concern a few days later on Tuesday.

It is too early to know how effective the existing COVID vaccine is against omicron variants and any further mutations.

According to the CDC, breakthrough infections are expected in people who are fully vaccinated, but all FDA-approved or authorized vaccines are expected to be effective against serious illness, hospitalization, and death.

According to Bloomberg News, scientists are concerned that this variant may be more contagious and better able to escape the body's antibodies produced by vaccination or previous infection with COVID.

Omicron has more than 30 mutations, many of which are in its spike protein.

Two preliminary studies conducted in South Africa late last week showed evidence that the omicron variant of COVID spreads twice as fast as the delta variant and the likelihood of reinfecting those who have recovered from COVID-19 It may be three times as much, as reported by Forbes, which also quoted a New York Times report.

As of Sunday in New Jersey, as delta variants continue to drive cases here, 1,113 patients across the state have been hospitalized due to COVID, of which 217 are in intensive care units.

According to the test results, there are 3,097 newly confirmed cases and 542 new suspected cases.

According to the CDC, some monoclonal antibody treatments may not be effective against omicron infection due to these same viral mutations.

As of November, medical researchers are examining evidence that people who are fully vaccinated against COVID are still unlikely to be infected, and if they are infected, the infection time will be shorter than that of people who have not been vaccinated.

This is supported by transmission studies, which confirmed that vaccinated people are less likely to transmit the virus to close contacts than unvaccinated people, including the delta variants reported and published by the American Medical Association.

The study does not include case studies of patients with omicron variant COVID because it has not yet been discovered.

Studies have shown that after the COVID-19 vaccine, the ability to protect against the virus and prevent infection may decrease over time, state officials reiterated on Friday. A booster dose of the vaccine can provide the necessary additional protection.

State health officials said on Friday that although more than 70% of residents had received the main vaccine series, as of early December, only 31% of eligible residents had received booster vaccines.

As of December 5, nearly 14 million doses of vaccine had been vaccinated across the state, of which 8.41 million had received at least one dose.

The CDC recommends that all people 5 years and older should be vaccinated, and those 18 years and older who are fully vaccinated should receive a booster dose.

A recent study in "Science" found that the effectiveness of vaccines from July to October of this year decreased by roughly the following percentage: Johnson & Johnson's vaccine effectiveness decreased from 86.4% to 13.1%; according to a published report, Moderna increased from 89.2% To 58%, Pfizer’s effectiveness rose from 86.9% to 43.3%.

I can't tell.

According to the World Health Organization, the first reported infections were college students, and the organization also pointed out that during a pandemic, these young people tend to have milder overall symptoms. Therefore, there are too many variables in the earliest case to clearly understand the severity of its presentation.

Based on the evidence collected since people were able to fully vaccinate the virus for the first time, in general, breakthrough cases of COVID showed symptoms that were easier to control and did not require hospitalization.

In New Jersey, from January 19 to November 15, 54,260 breakthrough cases were reported among 5.88 million fully vaccinated people.

Of these cases, 1,160 fully vaccinated people required hospitalization for COVID (0.02%), while 314 COVID-related deaths (0.005%) were reported among fully vaccinated people.

Since March 2020, this is basically the same, but with the addition of vaccination and booster layers, it meets the conditions.

Since the end of May, except for public transportation, medical institutions and schools, in accordance with the guidance of the CDC, there has been no requirement to wear masks in the whole state.

Due to the potential impact of omicron and the general idea of ​​more indoor activities as winter arrives, state and federal health officials have recently been encouraging the wearing of masks in any crowded areas, especially indoors, regardless of vaccination status.

"We are still learning about Omicron variants, but we have the tools to stop the spread of the virus, the most important of which are vaccination and booster doses," Persichilli said in the same written statement on Friday.

"The public should continue to wear masks, get tested if they have symptoms, keep their physical distance, avoid crowded activities, stay at home when they are sick, and wash their hands frequently."