New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson issued an alert on Monday, Jan. 3 advising that he has tested positive for the virus and has been isolated at home for most of the past week following the confirmed infection.
Bramson, who is fully vaccinated and has received a COVID-19 booster shot, said that his symptoms have been mild, and he “expects to be back in the office soon” while his family takes care of him at home.
The mayor cautioned that with the Omicron COVID-19 variant raging across the country, it's important for everyone to take precautions to help curtail the spread of the virus.
“Unfortunately, while it’s easy to be lighthearted about my own no-big-deal personal circumstances, the same cannot be said for our city and country,” he said. “Omicron is tearing through whole communities like wildfire, with caseloads here and elsewhere that are several times higher than the prior peak of the pandemic.
“Those protected by vaccines and boosters are likely to be fine, but many others will land in the hospital or worse, and even if those needing medical care amount to only a tiny fraction of the overall population, the stress on our already overburdened health systems will be immense.”
It wasn't all doom and gloom for Bramson; however, as he said that he believes the light at the end of the tunnel could be approaching as the calendar moves past the predicted holiday surge of COVID-19 infections and closer to the spring.
“The silver lining to our dark winter is that this feels like it could finally be the virus’s end game,” he noted. “Omicron is so widespread and contagious that it may simply burn itself out by infecting every available host.
“This is not anyone’s idea of a positive way to conclude our two-year ordeal, especially considering the staggering and still escalating loss of life, but there is reason to hope that the worst will be over in a few weeks, and that spring will be much better.”
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