No omicron variant found in Sonoma County, but officials expect the COVID-19 mutation in near future

Sonoma County public health officials said Wednesday that no cases of the omicron variant have been detected here, though they expect the COVID-19 mutation will likely reach the North Bay in the near future.

County public health lab staff have been genotyping a significant number of new local COVID-19 specimens since news of the omicron variant broke last week.

In addition, more than 1,000 previously genotyped samples have been “retroactively,” analyzed, officials said.

“I'm happy to say that we have not missed any omicron variants here locally,” Dr. Rachel Rees, director of the Sonoma County public health lab, said during a public health press conference Wednesday.

The briefing occurred Wednesday, shortly after news broke that the nation’s first confirmed case of the omicron variant had been detected by a lab in San Francisco.

As of Nov. 29, some 2,795 confirmed coronavirus specimens from Sonoma County have been genotyped by local and state labs. Of these, 1,795 were the delta variant.

The local public health lab is currently genotyping 64 local COVID-19 specimens a week, though it has the capacity to conduct genetic sequencing on an additional 32 specimens. It can do even more that than if more lab staff and shifts are added, Rees said.

County COVID-19 samples genetically sequenced by state labs have also come up negative for omicron variant.

Dr. Sundari Mase, the county health officer, said that little is known about the omicron, including whether the mutation is more transmissible or causes more severe illness. Mase and other officials stressed the need to get vaccinated against COVID-19, even as tests are being conducted to determine vaccine effectiveness against the omicron variant.

“Scientists are looking at the specifics of antibody production against this variant strain, and what we've heard is over the next two to three weeks, we'll have more specific data on that,” said Dr. Urmila Shende, the county’s vaccine chief.

Shende said the current vaccine has been shown to bolster different parts of the immune system, making it effective against variants like the delta. “Hopefully that will be the case with omicron but we will have more data over the next two to three weeks,” she said.

You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @pressreno.