LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — At least 20 states have reported cases of the COVID-19 omicron variant, many of which surround Arkansas.
So far no cases have been reported in the Natural State, but the health department is vigorously screening for the variant.
Dr. Jennifer Dillaha, Arkansas Department of Health Medical Director for Immunizations said, "If there is a omicron sequence, specimen at any time, we will find it in any of the ones that the health department gets."
Dillaha explained that the health department is screening for the variant by sending positive COVID tests to a lab in Minnesota to analyze the makeup of the sample and look for any signature of omicron.
This could create some delay in when the first omicron case could be identified in Arkansas as it takes time to send the samples to the lab.
But what makes a variant? Well, each time a virus infects someone, a slightly different version is passed along as it spreads. The process continues until the virus mutates enough to have different characteristics, like transmissibility or symptoms.
From that point, the strain is given a new name like delta or omicron.
"That variant eventually will be far enough removed from the original virus to cause different symptoms," Secretary of Health Dr. Jose Romero said.
This all as doctors rush to learn more about the characteristics that come with omicron.
"We don't have enough information yet to know if the illness that causes it is more severe or less severe or the same," Dillaha added.
But especially amid holiday related spikes in cases, Dr. Romero and Dr. Dillaha urge Arkansans to get vaccinated for the best level of protection.
"I feel very confident that the vaccines will have good protection. We just don't know how good compared to say the protection it provides against delta," Dillaha said.