Thanksgiving weekend was over, and much of this country woke up Monday morning hearing about the Omicron COVID variant for the first time. It is traced to South Africa, and no cases have been reported yet in the U.S. Vermilion County Health Department spokesperson Douglas Toole says it’s very early, and a lot has to be learned. So far, he says it looks like a variant that’s very transmissible, but not necessarily leading to the worst of COVID illnesses.
AUDIO: Right now it does not appear to be a very strong variant of the disease. Most of the people who have it are reporting very mild symptoms so far. That can change, but we hope it does not.
Toole says the Health Department’s advice remains the same as always. Get vaccinated, and use common sense, such as with using masking and social distancing.
AUDIO: We have way more questions than we have answers at this point. From our point of view it’s just another variant of COVID, so we are asking people to just treat it the same way. Wash hands frequently, stay home if you’re sick, get tested if you start to develop symptoms, and strongly consider getting vaccinated.
The Vermilion County Health Department does have COVID saliva testing 10 to 6 both Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Go to vchd.org to set up your account and appointment.