Comment on What it would take for omicron to overtake delta as the dominant COVID-19 strain

LOS ANGELES — With a handful of cases now confirmed across the country, it’s clear that the worrisome, mutated omicron variant has secured a toehold in the United States. But whether these initial infections ultimately fade out or prove to be the beachhead for a new viral assault depends largely on how the strain stacks up against a now-familiar foe: the delta variant. Since it officially burst onto the scene last week, much of the discussion surrounding the omicron variant of the coronavirus has centered around what scientists admit they don’t know — whether it might spread more easily than other strains, change disease severity or more readily evade vaccine protection. Yet just as important a question, suggests John Moore, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Weill Cornell Medical College, is this: What if it’s no match for the devil we know? “Can delta outcompete omicron, or will omicron thrive in the face of delta?” Moore said Thursday at a forum sponsored by UC San Francisco.