OMICRON
NEWS UPDATE:
Quote:
Here’s what you need to know:
Fauci and other top U.S. health officials project resolve in fighting the Omicron variant.
Omicron is spreading more than twice as quickly as the Delta variant in South Africa, scientists report.
More states detect the Omicron variant as U.S. health officials brace for community spread.
Short-handed hospitals in upstate New York fill up as Covid cases surge.
A man in Italy tries to get a shot in a fake arm to qualify for a vaccination certificate.
Republican legislators protest vaccination rule at New Jersey’s State House.
A Christmas party in Norway becomes a possible Omicron-spreading event, and other international news.
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OMICRON TRACKER:
Omicron has already spread to the following countries since November 2021:
South Africa
Botswana
Zimbabwe
Austria
Belgium
Brazil
Czech Republic
Denmark
Finland
France
Ghana
Greece
Hong Kong
India
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Malaysia
Mexico,
Netherlands
Nigeria
Norway
Réunion
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
South Korea
Sri Lanka
Sweden
Switzerland
Tunisia
United Arab Emirates.
Australia
Britain
Canada
Germany
Iceland
Israel
Norway
Portugal
Spain
In the United States, the omicron variant has been detected in 11 states:
California
Colorado
Hawaii
Maryland
Minnesota
Missouri
Nebraska
New Jersey
New York
Pennsylvania
Utah
SIDE NOTE:
Military and
Veterans medical facilities will NOT be included in the reports per state unless specified. Those data are also missing from the U.S. data. For more information, visit
Military OneSource here or the
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs here.
Additionally,
states like Idaho are lagging behind in updating their data for specific variants. Idaho is barely keeping up with data on positive Covid-19 cases (the preliminary tests) while
Idaho prepares for omicron to arrive, if it's not already here. It takes a while for them to finally get around to testing the genome of the positive test cases for the actual variants. By the time they record that data, the omicron variant would have likely spread. It's most likely already here, since it took Idaho over a month to catch up with reflecting delta variants as being the #1 variant flooding this area. It's likely that in states like ours, where the majority of people remain unvaccinated and unmasked, and such people have no qualms about international and domestic travel or even local superspreading events, omicron is already here and very prevalent. It could be the case for other states as well. Our state had just barely ended crisis standards of care in all hospitals, and in some jurisdictions, those crisis standards of care remain. It would be sad to see the levels of cases rise again, especially in areas where there remains unvaccinated persons or under-vaccinated persons (those who only received one vaccination shot out of a two-shot series and decided not to get anymore vaccines).
COPING:
1. To reduce disinformation and misinformation, it's best not to downplay the seriousness of this new variant of concern. Although it is also best not to panic, it is best to err on the side of caution and be cognizant of your health and others.
2. Continue to self-care, get boosted, get vaccinated if not already done, wear masks, improve ventilation indoors (with either air purifiers or HVAC systems and fans and opened windows periodically), socially distance, isolate in place and socialize online, order online for package or contactless deliveries, limit travel, abide by local and institutional rules concerning masking and vaccinating, and/or do the best you can with what you got.
3. Limit reading sensationalized news. However, understand the news is there to inform and help protect and prevent, so choose one reputable news source or two and limit it to that for updates. I use the New York Times and an epidemiologist email listserv to get my information.
4. If you absolutely cannot vaccinate, then wear masks, socially distance, and improve indoor ventilation.
5. If you cannot vaccinate or mask, then consider social distancing, improving indoor ventilation, and only going out for essentials. Avoid traveling unless it's for essential work.
6. Stick with your safety pod - those who hold similar values and risk-allowances during this pandemic, as those will be the ones to validate you and comfort you during stressful times.
7. Do what you think is best for you, since not everyone can adhere to all the safety standards listed above and elsewhere, which is in accordance with the
CDC,
FEMA (and also
here), and the
WHO.