Omicron 'A Significant Concern' For The Holidays: WA DOH

OLYMPIA, WA — Christmas and New Years are both fast approaching, and while they're a great excuse to travel to catch up with your loved ones, Washington's top health officials are asking everyone to take some extra precautions before heading out this year, while the state grapples with the omicron variant.

More than 109 million people are expected to travel for the 2021 holiday season, according to AAA. If it's anything like last Christmas, it's likely all that travel will cause at least some growth in COVID-19 case rates — especially now that the more-transmissible omicron variant accounts for roughly 75 percent of the country's new COVID cases, per the CDC. Already some of the warning signs are here: The rising prevalence of omicron and the return of flu season have doctors bracing for the worst.

"This is going to be a really unfortunate season," said State Epidemiologist Dr. Scott Lindquist at a news briefing Tuesday.

Despite a minor spike in infections last week, case counts have held relatively steadily the last few days, but doctors worry that could change as omicron gains a greater foothold locally. Washington logged about 400 confirmed omicron cases Tuesday morning, according to Lindquist, and a recent report from UW virology found roughly 70 percent of Washington's COVID cases were caused by the omicron variant.

Concerns about omicron and holiday spread even pushed the University of Washington to shift classes back to remote learning, at least for the start of the winter quarter.

Early studies indicate that the omicron cases may be less severe than other strains, but a surge of omicron patients would still mean a surge in new hospitalizations, something the state's health care system cannot afford right now, health leaders say.

"The concern is that some portion of those individuals are going to be hospitalized, and our concern is that our system is already strained, and what will happen if hospitalizations spike again," Washington Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah said.

In order to limit transmissions and hospitalizations as much as possible, health leaders are asking everyone to take some simple precautions this holiday season, like getting vaccinated or getting a booster shot if you are eligible for either. Right now, it appears that vaccination — especially when coupled with a booster — is still the strongest defense against omicron.

'Those who are vaccinated are markedly less likely to be hospitalized in all age categories," Shah said.

If you're traveling and concerned you may be carrying the virus, testing is always a good option, according to doctors. President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that the federal government would be providing 500 million free rapid tests for Americans in preparation for the holiday travel season. Americans use about 600 million COVID-19 tests a month, the Associated Press reports.

Other important precautions include:

• Wearing a mask while in public.
• Practicing social distancing and staying safe in crowds.
• Washing your hands more frequently.
• Staying home if you feel sick or have COVID-like symptoms.

While it is almost inevitable that all that holiday travel will cause some new COVID cases, the good news is that Washington is much more prepared and protected than last holiday season. In the year since the COVID-19 vaccines were first introduced, 82.2 percent of the state's population 12 and older has received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine, and 75.6 percent are fully vaccinated.