MIAMII – The first known case of the omicron COVID-19 variant has been found in South Florida.
That infection was traced back to a patient at a Miami-Dade hospital.
The overall number of Covid positive patients in Florida is starting to trend up as well, according to new data just released.
Experts believe travel and close gatherings from the Thanksgiving Day holiday is fueling the latest surge that is already being felt across the Midwest and northeast, where temperatures are colder, and people are heading indoors.
Many hospitals in those regions are already stretched thin.
“For the past five weeks, we’ve never had a day where we’ve had a bed for more than a few hours available,” Michigan physician Dr. Rob Davidson said.
In South Florida, hospital bed capacity is currently not an issue, but Miami-Dade leaders acknowledge things can change quickly.
On Saturday, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said, in a tweet, that, “News that the first official case of Omicron has been detected in Miami-Dade County is a frustrating reminder that this pandemic is not over, and we must continue to take key measures to protect ourselves and our loved ones during the holiday season.”
News that the first official case of Omicron has been detected in Miami-Dade County is a frustrating reminder that this pandemic is not over, and we must continue to take key measures to protect ourselves and our loved ones during the holiday season.
— Daniella Levine Cava (@MayorDaniella) December 11, 2021
Early data shows booster shots help to bolster protection against the omicron variant.
“The only advantage with omicron is that the severity of the disease is not that with omicron -- compared with delta, at this moment at least,” University of Miami Dr. Dushyantha Jayaweera said.
Records show roughly 50 million Americans have gotten a booster, and more than 200 million Americans are vaccinated, but that’s only about 60 percent of the population.
In the United Kingdom, omicron is expected to be the dominant variant by the middle of the month, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is taking note.
“I don’t expect we’ll be on the same time horizon as UK, and we’re continuing to follow cases and we’ll look at that carefully,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said.