KPCC California s New Again Mask Mandate New Study on Effects of Omicron Variant and More Skip to main content Close Select your preferred language English عربى 简体中文 繁體中文 فارسي עִברִית 日本語 한국어 Русский Español Tagalog Menu Close Call 1-800-CEDARS-1 toggle search form Close Los Angeles, 29 December 2021 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles KPCC California s New Again Mask Mandate New Study on Effects of Omicron Variant and More Right now, our most powerful tools to fight the fast-spreading omicorn variant of COVID-19 are vaccination, boosters, and in certain environments, masking, says Sam Torbati, MD. Photo by Cedars-Sinai. Vaccine tray drive through clinic at the Beverly Center. KPCC show AirTalk recently spoke with Sam Torbati, MD, co-chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Cedars-Sinai, for the show's daily update on recent COVID-19 developments. Torbati expressed cautious optimism about data from South Africa suggesting that, while the omicron variant first identified there appears more infectious and less vulnerable to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine than previous variants, it also appears less lethal. "For folks that are not vaccinated, this could still be a big issue," Torbati told host Larry Mantle. He noted that 80% of South Africa's population has previously been infected with COVID-19, according to some estimates, and could have natural protection against the new variant. But omicron could behave differently in the U.S., where fewer people have experienced native infection, and Torbati said it's unclear how much protection might be conferred to someone who had a previous COVID-19 illness from a variant other than omicron. Torbati said omicron could take over as the dominant variant here within the next month, and that Cedars-Sinai is preparing for an increase in cases and an influx of patients. Even though fully vaccinated individuals could develop a mild case of COVID-19, Torbati stressed that the vaccine and boosters are safe and current data suggests they offer significant protection against severe disease. In addition to getting vaccinated and sticking with preventive COVID-19 measures, he recommended good nutrition and adequate sleep to stay healthy. "No one's willing to shut down again and stop living," he told Mantle. "We need to figure out how to live with this and use all the tools available to us. And right now, our most powerful tools are vaccination, boosters, and in certain environments, masking." Click here to listen to the complete interview from KPCC. Related Stories RSS feed - Related Stories (opens in new window) View all headlines - Related Stories HealthDay Black Women Less Likely to Get Laparoscopic Fibroid Surgeries October 07, 2022 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles HealthDay recently interviewed Rebecca J. Schneyer, MD, a resident in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program at Cedars-Sinai, about a study she led that found Black and Hispanic women were less likely than white women to receive minimally … Read more KCRW Want New Omicron Booster Wait at Least 2 Months After Last Shot October 06, 2022 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles KCRW program Press Play recently featured Rita Shane, PharmD, vice president and chief pharmacy officer at Cedars-Sinai, discussing who qualifies for the updated COVID-19 booster and how long patients must wait before getting the shot.The Centers … Read more ABC 7 Spider-Man Swings by 4-Year-Old Leukemia Patient s Birthday Party at Cedars-Sinai September 30, 2022 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles ABC 7 recently profiled Cedars-Sinai patient Jabari Henley, who celebrated his fourth birthday with a special superhero at Guerin Children's newly opened inpatient facility.The Lifedriven Foundation helped throw Henley a surprise party in the Guerin … Read more Show previous items Show next items Contact the Media Team Email: [email protected] Share this release KPCC California s New Again Mask Mandate New Study on Effects of Omicron Variant and More Share on: Twitter Share on: Facebook Share on: LinkedIn Search Our Newsroom Social media Visit our Facebook page (opens in new window) Follow us on Twitter (opens in new window) Visit our Youtube profile (opens in new window) (opens in new window) Latest news 07 Oct 2022 - HealthDay Black Women Less Likely to Get Laparoscopic Fibroid Surgeries 07 Oct 2022 - Faculty Publications: Sept. 29-Oct. 6 07 Oct 2022 - Fine-Tuning Organ-Chip Technology 06 Oct 2022 - KCRW Want New Omicron Booster Wait at Least 2 Months After Last Shot 05 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Schedules Free Flu Vaccine Clinics 04 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Showcases Hispanic and Latinx Art Newsroom Home