There are limits to how much we can infer about human disease from experiments on tissue cultures and lab animals, said Dr. Vineet Menachery, a virologist at the University of Texas Medical Branch. Specific mutations in omicron’s spike protein, the structure the virus uses to attach to and enter cells, may help explain why the variant spreads so easily. “If it’s better at infecting cells, then the expectation is that it’s better at transmission," Menachery said.

Dr. Shawn Nishi, a professor and program director of University of Texas Medical Branch’s pulmonary critical care unit, said all COVID-positive people in the hospital aren’t there because of COVID. About half were incidental diagnosis in people hospitalized for things other than COVID. While hospitalizations from COVID-19 are not as high as during previous surges, more hospital workers are getting sick from the highly contagious strain, Nishi said. “Our division had not really gotten sick until this variant hit,” she said. “It’s just super contagious. We’ve been so careful. But despite our best efforts, we’ve had people in our division going down.”

While the current COVID backslide has caused “PTSD” to enter many parents’ vernacular, technically speaking, that may not be what you’re experiencing. Dr. Jeff R. Temple, psychologist and professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch, adds that how “close” you are or were to the trauma may also impact your symptoms and the severity of them. “Someone who lost a loved one or they or their child was severely ill will likely be more anxious during this new wave of COVID, compared to someone who did not know anyone with COVID,” he said.

“Medical marijuana isn’t legal in Texas, and although my patients request it, we can only discuss pros and cons,” wrote Dr. Victor S. Sierpina, the WD and Laura Nell Nicholson Family Professor of Integrative Medicine and Professor of Family Medicine at UTMB. “Patients choosing medical cannabis treatment must seek it in one of our neighboring states like Oklahoma or Colorado where it’s available and legal, but interstate transportation is illegal by federal rules.”

Although no one knows the exact numbers, it’s estimated that between half a million and a million Allied soldiers in World War I suffered from Trench Fever. Today, Trench Fever cases are rare, but they’re making a bit of a comeback among the growing populations of homeless. Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel, professors at the University of Texas Medical Branch, explain the condition in the latest Medical Discovery News column.

Even if omicron is milder, “it seems to be still doing quite a bit of damage in unvaccinated people,” said University of Texas Medical Branch virologist Vineet Menachery. “The good news is that there does seem to be a trend that this virus is less severe than previous waves, especially if you're vaccinated.” For those who got their shots, "the threat of severe disease is probably off the table for most people,” he said. “On the other hand, for people who are not vaccinated, I think the threat is just as big as it was in March of 2020.” International news outlets ran the Voice of America story, including the Zimbabwe Star. Several U.S. outlets also ran this story.