With the Omicron variant of the coronavirus making its way into the United States Wednesday, and rising case numbers in northeast Georgia, a local health official is offering an update on the fight against the pandemic.
Dr. Zachary Taylor, district health director for northeast Georgia’s District 2 Public Health, said there are still a lot of uncertainties surrounding the Omicron variant.
“It was a variant that was first detected in South Africa, it does appear to spread fairly rapidly, or at least it did in the experience of the South African researchers,” Dr. Taylor said. “We don’t know how severe of an illness it causes … we don’t know exactly how effective the vaccines will be against this variant.”
Even with all the uncertainties about Omicron, Dr. Taylor said it is best to take a wait-and-see approach, rather than worry about its potential dangers.
“Let’s find out a little bit more about the variant, and then we’ll be able to determine the correct response,” Dr. Taylor said. “The correct response is never worrying, it’s finding out what you need to do to protect yourself and to protect your family.”
In the meantime, while medical officials and researchers work to learn more about the Omicron variant, Dr. Taylor said people should get vaccinated against COVID-19 if they have not already done so. He cited the continued spread of the Delta variant across the country and in northeast Georgia as a reason why those eligible should get vaccinated.
Locally, COVID-19 hospitalizations have been climbing slightly since Nov. 26 at Northeast Georgia Health System facilities. On Nov. 26, NGHS was treading 38 patients with COVID-19, and as of Dec. 1, they were treating 56.
Dr. Taylor said COVID cases numbers are seeing similar upward trends across the state and in northeast Georgia.
“Within this district, we’re seeing either a plateauing of the cases or in some counties we are seeing that slight increase in the number of cases that are occurring,” Dr. Taylor said. “We still have levels of transmission greater than 100 per 100,000. Over the past two weeks, we still have test positivity rates above 5%.”
With the holidays coming up, many people will get together with friends and family to spread some holiday cheer. Dr. Taylor said it is okay to have those get-togethers if you are safe about it.
“If you feel like you’re ill, stay at home. Don’t go out and spread any type of illness,” Dr. Taylor said. “You can buy these home test kits if you’re concerned, and people can take that prior to getting together. That may provide another level of security for you.”
