Omicron variant news, research and analysis - the conversation

September 9, 2024 Paul Griffin, _The University of Queensland_ The TGA is considering an updated COVID vaccine, which would be better matched to current variants. November 20, 2023 Paul

Griffin, _The University of Queensland_ As the virus continues to mutate, COVID vaccines are updated. This brings us to the latest announcement about the new ‘monovalent’ vaccines. September

13, 2023 Prakash Nagarkatti, _University of South Carolina_ and Mitzi Nagarkatti, _University of South Carolina_ Only time and data will tell whether the CDC-recommended reformulated shots

can stand their ground against the ever-changing SARS-CoV-2 variants. September 12, 2023 Suresh V. Kuchipudi, _University of Pittsburgh_ Researchers still don’t know how well BA.2.86 will

evade immunity or whether it will cause more severe disease than its predecessors. August 31, 2023 Dawn ME Bowdish, _McMaster University_ and Andrew Costa, _McMaster University_ We still

have much to learn about many aspects of COVID-19 — including its lingering health effects and the mechanics of its endless mutations — but we do know one thing: we can’t let our guard down.

May 31, 2023 Nana Wu, _Concordia University_; Keven Joyal-Desmarais, _Concordia University_, and Simon Bacon, _Concordia University_ New analysis answers questions about the ongoing

effectiveness of COVID vaccines: How well they protect against infection, hospitalization and death months after initial doses or after a booster shot. May 17, 2023 Amanda Mascarelli, _The

Conversation_ With the emergency phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in the rearview mirror, at least for now, we look back on a handful of stories that provided sharp insights at key moments in

the pandemic. January 25, 2023 Matthew Woodruff, _Emory University_ The new bivalent boosters against COVID-19 have failed to halt omicron infections. However, new technologies are being

developed that pave a way forward. January 16, 2023 Sameer Elsayed, _Western University_ The XBB.1.5 subvariant — nicknamed ‘Kraken’ — is arguably the most genetically rich and most

transmissible SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariant yet. January 15, 2023 Jennifer Fang, _Simon Fraser University_; Julianne Piper, _Simon Fraser University_, and Kelley Lee, _Simon Fraser

University_ Canada’s new COVID-19 testing requirement for travellers arriving from China is unlikely to prevent the spread of new subvariants. January 12, 2023 Grace C Roberts, _University

of Leeds_ XBB.1.5, or ‘kraken’, can evade our immune systems better than earlier variants, and appears to be more infectious. But it’s not cause for alarm. December 11, 2022 Thea van de

Mortel, _Griffith University_ Some results of independent testing of rapid antigen tests available in Australia have been made public. Here’s what the data tell us. November 2, 2022 Ash

Porter, _The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity_ and Sebastian Duchene, _The University of Melbourne_ There are so many forms of the virus, it’s hard to keep up. Here’s what

to expect next as the virus mutates and recombines. October 31, 2022 Manal Mohammed, _University of Westminster_ Two new omicron subvariants, BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 could lead to another COVID

surge. Here’s what we know so far. October 13, 2022 Nathaniel Hafer, _UMass Chan Medical School_; Apurv Soni, _UMass Chan Medical School_, and Yukari Manabe, _Johns Hopkins University_ Rapid

tests can be an incredibly useful tool for early detection of COVID-19. Unfortunately, they sometimes leave people with more questions than answers. October 2, 2022 Alison Braley-Rattai,

_Brock University_ Adding COVID-19 to a list of ‘designated diseases’ will not make vaccination mandatory for school entry. But it may help increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake among children.

September 25, 2022 Nathan Bartlett, _University of Newcastle_ As the virus that causes COVID evolves, keeping up with it remains a challenge for variant-specific vaccines. The booster you

can get now is the best one to get. September 16, 2022 Zania Stamataki, _University of Birmingham_ and Adrian Shields, _University of Birmingham_ This guidance replaces previous conditional

recommendations for the use of these drugs and is based on emerging evidence that they’re not likely to work against omicron. September 13, 2022 Manal Mohammed, _University of Westminster_

BA.4.6 seems to be even better at evading our immune response than BA.5. August 30, 2022 Andrew Stokes, _Boston University_; Dielle Lundberg, _Boston University_; Elizabeth Wrigley-Field,

_University of Minnesota_, and Rafeya Raquib, _Boston University_ Early on, public health messaging focused on the need for vaccines to combat COVID-19. But far less attention has been given

to the role of boosters in preventing deaths and reducing inequities.