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The good news is that the new COVID-19 variant is milder than the Delta variant, but chances of reinfection are nearly five times higher, according to a recent study by the Imperial College London.
Experts say that a "viral blizzard" could be upon us in the coming weeks, all thanks to Omicron.
That means that Omicron might actually be helpful in achieving herd immunity faster. Officials are still urging everyone to get vaccinated, which can prevent life-threatening symptoms of the COVID-19 virus.
Meantime, New Jersey and US officials are taking measures to prevent the spread.
“My fear is we’re going to be getting back to capacity limits at some point," Gov. Phil Murphy said Friday. "This thing is still with us and sadly, the numbers are still going up."
Those who are not vaccinated are "quite vulnerable to getting infected and getting into serious trouble," Dr. Anthony Fauci said in an interview with Eyewitness News.
New Jersey reported an additional 16 COVID-10 deaths and 6.260 cases on Friday, the first time that more than 6,000 positive tests were reported in back-to-back days since the pandemic began in the state, NJ Advance Media reports.
Radio City Music Hall's Christmas Spectacular was cancelled as crowds gathered Friday due to breakthrough cases among production members, FOX5 reports. Several Broadway shows were also cancelled this week.
New Yorkers took to TikTok to show painfully long COVID-19 testing lines that wrapped around city blocks post-Santa Con.
As of Friday, the Omicron variant had been detected in 36 US states, Washington DC and Puerto Rico, according to the latest CDC map. The first regional cases of the Omicron variant turned up on Dec. 2 in New York City and on Dec. 3 in Philadelphia and New Jersey.
CDC says it doesn’t yet know how easily Omicron spreads, the severity of illness it causes or how well vaccines and medications work against it. South Africa has identified mostly milder symptoms, but WHO's director-general warned against complacence at a news conference this week.
Here's what else the CDC knows:
- CDC expects that anyone with Omicron infection can spread the virus to others, even if they are vaccinated or don’t have symptoms.
- Masks offer protection against all variants.
- Current vaccines are expected to protect against severe illness, hospitalizations and deaths due to infection with the Omicron variant.
- So-called "breakthrough infections" in people who are fully vaccinated are likely to occur.
- Despite the increased attention of Omicron, Delta continues to be the main variant circulating in the U.S.
- Vaccines remain the best public health measure to protect people from COVID-19 and reduce the likelihood of new variants emerging.
- Additional medical tests -- beyond the more routine tests -- are needed to determine if your infection was caused by Omicron, CDC says.
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