STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

Those who receive a COVID vaccine booster could develop a flush of antibodies that might target the new Omicron variant.

COVID-19 vaccines and boosters not only encourage cells to make antibodies for existing variants but they expand the breadth of antibodies that are made. Consequently, some of those receiving vaccines or booster shots will develop antibodies that could fight Omicron and even variants that scientists haven’t yet recognized, infectious disease specialist Dr. Sky Blue told reporters this week.

The problem is that vaccines do not produce the same number or type of antibodies in everyone. So,  doctors can’t say which antibodies are produced when they vaccinate an individual, Blue said during a virtual press conference hosted by St. Luke’s Health Systems.

Blue, who is with Sawtooth Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases in Boise, told reporters that the Omicron variant, which was first detected in South Africa in November, has gotten a lot of attention because of the sheer number of mutations it has.

Its closest relative was identified in mid-2020—nearly a year ago. So, that’s led to a lot of speculation about what was going on between then and November 2021 when Omicron was detected, he said.

Omicron shares some characteristics of the Delta variant, which might make it more transmissible. But it’s still unclear how it will behave when addressed by existing COVID vaccines, monoclonal antibody treatment and other treatments, he said.

“We expect this virus to continue to mutate. Every new case will allow the virus to try out new mutations because of the nature of the virus. The virus wants to spread so it will look for mutations that allow it to spread,” he said.

Dr. Laura McGeorge, St. Luke’s system medical director, said St. Luke’s hospitals are in a better situation right now than it has been. And there’s room for optimism, thanks to more testing that can be turned around in a day’s time, monoclonal antibody treatments and, likely, more antiviral treatments.

But McGeorge cautioned that people should continue to mask and practice good hygiene in certain situations.

Even though the number of hospitalized COVID patients is decreasing, St. Luke’s is still seeing high hospital volumes as people pursue treatments that were delayed while nurses and doctors were deployed to treat COVID patients

 Health officials said earlier this week that hospitals in north Idaho still have more COVID patients than they then can handle with normal staffing. Hospitals in north Idaho are still operating under Crisis Standards of Care.