As omicron variant spreads, infectious disease expert advises taking precautions

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Omicron variant of COVID-19 detected successful 36 states, including Florida

Health experts judge that taking precautions tin assistance forestall the omicron variant from spreading and infecting crowds of radical who are retired shopping.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The omicron variant of COVID-19 is spreading, and infectious illness experts accidental it won’t beryllium agelong earlier it’s detected successful the Jacksonville area.

Dr. Mohammed Reza, an infectious illness expert, said the omicron variant is infecting radical astatine higher rates, and you request to beryllium ready.

“This is not the clip to panic,” Reza said. “This is clip to prepare.”

He said by aboriginal January, omicron could beryllium the much communal variant. It’s been detected successful 36 states, including Florida.

“When we trial if you person an corruption oregon not, it’s a precise tiny snippet of those respective 1,000 basal pairs,” Reza said. “For america to adjacent find that if this is omicron oregon delta oregon alpha, you person to series the full 32,000-plus basal pairs, due to the fact that that allows you to work the full microorganism that’s causing that infection. We bash that sporadically, called random sampling done our communities and done the country.”

Reza said models amusement the variant’s doubling clip is faster than the delta variant, meaning much radical are being infected.

“So adjacent though we whitethorn person not diagnosed this variant successful our community, it’s precise apt it’s circulating due to the fact that of however communal this variant has been seen crossed our state astatine this point,” Reza said.

Reza said models amusement omicron is much contagious than the delta variant. We don’t cognize if it causes a much terrible illness, oregon however it volition interaction older oregon immunocompromised people. It’s besides a situation if radical don’t get tested erstwhile feeling sick.

Reza said we request to hole present earlier the adjacent imaginable wave, which helium said isn’t acold away. When it comes to vaccine defense, Reza said the preliminary information shows Pfizer and Moderna springiness immoderate extortion – not arsenic overmuch extortion arsenic it does with the delta oregon alpha variants.

“But the bully happening retired of each of this, that radical that were boosted aft receiving 2 doses, did spot an summation successful extortion against symptomatic infection,” Reza said.

He said you tin support yourself by getting the booster, wearing your mask, and support utilizing sanitizer.

Reza said adjacent though omicron hasn’t been detected successful Jacksonville yet, we should beryllium taking precautions.