KTAL6 -  Local health experts say the BA.2 omicron variant of the coronavirus has been on the rise across the country and is now the dominant strain in NW Louisiana. “As mysteriously as the virus came on, it’s kind of evolved and become a little less problematic when people get it,” said Dr. Michael Sewell, Section Chief for Division of Internal Medicine / Hospitalist Program.

KSLA12 - Beginning Tuesday, April 19, the Center for Emerging Viral Threats (CEVT) at LSUHS will no longer offer COVID-19 testing at its North Campus site. This change is due to the low number of COVID-19 cases reported in recent weeks. A look at the Louisiana Department of Health’s COVID case map shows the cases are low across the state.

Boston25 - “We are seeing the prevalence of BA.2 increasing as the overall Omicron wave has crashed,” said Jeremy Kamil, PhD, associate professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Louisiana State University in Shreveport. “It is spreading. It can infect people who were previously vaccinated, particularly if they didn’t have a case of BA1.”

KTBS3 - Shelly Raley, the Program Coordinator for the LSUHS COVID Strike Team, says that circumstances make this current slowdown more calming than previous ones. "Currently there is no big delta or omicron that we see headed our way in the immediate future."

NBC News - Scientists have detected a handful of cases of the delta-omicron hybrid but say it's unlikely to cause a new surge. Dr. Jeremy Kamil, an associate professor of microbiology and immunology at LSUHS says, "Delta basically grabbed omicron's spike protein. This is essentially delta trying to hang on by plagiarizing from omicron."

Bloomberg - “I’m convinced that home testing is artificially lowering rates … and by a  lot,” says Jeremy Kamil, a virologist at LSUHS. “Especially when you factor in the additional impact of mild cases and pandemic fatigue.”

NPR - Dr. Jeremy Kamil, LSUHS Virologist, says these studies, along with several others published recently, are really tipping the scales toward an animal origin.

NPR Red River Radio - Health Matters: Andrew Yurochko, PhD and Krista Queen, PhD talk about COVID Sequencing – why it matters and how LSU Health Shreveport is contributing to this international conversation. 

Bloomberg - “No tests can tell you for sure what variant you have without full viral genome sequencing,” says Jeremy Kamil, a microbiologist and immunologist at LSU Health Shreveport. In the U.S., current federal guidance prevents labs from informing patients or their physicians about the specific genome-sequencing results.

The Philadelphia Inquirer - In addition to becoming more abundant with each exposure, the antibody response becomes more “mature,” saidDr. Jeremy Kamil, associate professor at LSUHS.