Former FDA Head: ‘We have so much omicron immunity’, will prevent any new variant from “really taking off”

Scott Gottlieb, the former head of the Food and Drug Administration said there may be some good news on the horizon. In an interview with CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday, Gottlieb said he predicts a “backstop” will prevent a new strain of the omicron variant from becoming a problem.

“A fully boosted person may be more protected against this new variant than they were against the original strain of omicron,” said Scott Gottlieb.  “So far, based on what we’ve seen out of Denmark and the U.K., which are collecting very good data on this, it doesn’t appear to be a more virulent strain.”

If you’ve been infected with omicron, then “you should be protected” from this strain, he said. “So the mutations in this new version are not in the receptor-binding domain on the spike protein. That’s the portion of the spike protein that we develop our best antibodies against that neutralize the virus” he explained.

“Most of the mutations are in a separate part of the spike protein called the N-terminal domain. So, if you had omicron infection, you should have subsequent infection from this new variant” he added.

Also, as COVID cases continue to decline in “parts of the Northeast, Florida,” and the “mid-Atlantic,” there is the possibility that the new strain will start to pick up, which will stop the current decline.

“The decline will happen nonetheless,” Gottlieb said. “Right now, it represents probably about 5% of infections in the U.S., and we have so much omicron immunity,” which he said will prevent the new variant from “really taking off.”