Omicron Variant so extraordinarily contagious, even quick transient interactions can lead to infection.
The Heavily Mutated Omicron Variant
has resulted in the most transmissive version
of SARS Cov-2 Virus to date.
Along with a New Year, New Yorkers and most American’s, will be ringing in a COVID-19 surge, due to the highly transmissive nature of the Omicron Variant.
Many infections are resulting from very brief encounters with infected persons. Many in science are considering indirect transmission as a viable means of spreading infection. Due to the Omicron variant’s high level of transmissiveness, Mitigation measures for the work place and home should be scaled up.
“Omicron is truly everywhere,” Dr. Megan Ranney, a professor of emergency medicine at Brown University’s School of Public Health, told CNN on Friday night. “What I am so worried about over the next month or so is that our economy is going to shut down, not because of policies from the federal government or from the state governments, but rather because so many of us are ill.”
The nation broke records several times this week for its seven-day average of new daily Covid-19 cases, reporting an all-time high of more than 386,000 new daily infections Friday, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University. The high case count is already causing disruptions in the country.
This means in order to prevent a work closures we must scale up all infection control mitigation measures as prescribed by the chain of infection methods of infection control
Screening for infectious persons ( temp check, testing ) Proper Mask wearing, Frequent Hand Hygiene and surface disinfection, ventilation ( mechanical & natural ), social distancing and vaccination.
While many persons infected with COVID-19 (B.1.1.529), the Omicron Variant do not experience severe illness, hospitalization rates are up. Healthcare services are becoming exhausted after several surges of the virus and now stretched thin again by a growing number of Covid-19 patients — are also already feeling impacts. Each week many facilities are joining a growing list of medical centers & hospitals in the nation to activate emergency protocols after a sharp rise in cases fueled staffing & equipment shortages while overwhelming emergency departments.
