In the last week of November, the World Health Organization named omicron a variant of concern, though it’s still unclear exactly how transmissible omicron is and whether or not it can cause more severe infections.
“It won’t be surprising it’s here, as well as in our community, because people travel, congregate, and rightfully are enjoying life, but at the same time, hopefully not disposing of all public health measures,” Onondaga County Health Commissioner Dr. Indu Gupta said.
The dominant COVID-19 variant in the world is now delta, and it’s unclear if omicron will replace delta as the dominant strain. It’s also unclear if it’s highly transmissible among the vaccinated.
“Please, please go and get your vaccination because this is the way we can stop those variants coming to our community, coming to our body, and those things really make a significant difference in how the virus is going to act in our community,” said Gupta.
Onondaga County continues to see a steady uptick in COVID cases. Gupta says it’s difficult to anticipate if there is a coming spike with the spread of omicron.
But she says vaccination plus mask-wearing can make all the difference with community transmission.
“It does concern me when I see people in an indoor settings, in grocery stores, especially if it’s a very crowded area at times, people are just walking by, taking precautions, it means that we are kind of conveying to the person next to us, ‘I got you, and I’m there to protect you,’” said Gupta.
She says this past year has proven challenging, but she remains hopeful the community will step up and help stop the spread.
“I’m hopeful that people will change their mind, and they will, maybe after listening to this. Pick up the phone, go online and get their first dose. Do something to change the tide of this pandemic,” said Gupta.
