Moving To A New Stage: Prevention Key In RI's New COVID-19 Plans

PROVIDENCE, RI — As Rhode Island's COVID-19 statistics continue to improve since the massive omicron surge over the last three months, state leaders are looking ahead to the next stage of the pandemic.

"We're in a much better place than we were last month, a much better place than we were last year," Gov. Dan McKee said during Wednesday's coronavirus news conference. "COVID-19 has transitioned to a preventable, treatable disease."

State leaders are strategizing how to best prepare for the next stage of the pandemic, with prevention at the center, the governor said.

"Every decision will be deliberate, based on science and based on current conditions," McKee said.

The most "crucial" part of prevention is vaccination, McKee said. While Rhode Island is a national leader in primary series vaccinations, it still lags when it comes to booster doses.

Dr. James McDonald, the interim director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, reminded Rhode Islanders the importance of getting their booster dose. While the primary vaccine series reduces the likelihood that a person will be hospitalized by six times, the booster dose increases that to 55 times.

"Two doses aren't enough, you need three," McDonald said, saying that raising vaccination rates will come down to increasing public trust. "We have a trust problem. We want to build as much trust as possible, and be worthy of that trust."

Looking ahead, McDonald said that Rhode Island's COVID-19 prevention and response will come down to individual, tailored messages based on current trends. Hospitalizations will be the key indicator, with case numbers becoming more secondary. Those who are sick will still be encouraged to stay home, though quarantines and isolation will be more of a recommendation than a requirement.

"It was never okay to go to work sick!" McDonald said.