As the holidays quickly approach, many are nervous about what threat the most recent Covid-19 variant, Omicron, poses not only to ones’ holiday plans, but also health. And while so far the new variant has not yet proven as deadly as previous variants, it’s still fast-spreading. Here’s the latest.
States including Texas, Georgia, Louisiana and Florida are the latest to report Omicron detection, bringing the total to 25 U.S. states. Officials expect this number to only go up in the next few weeks.
This comes after the wave of deadlier Delta infections pushed Covid cases over 100k per day, a 16% increase over the previous week and up 23% since before Thanksgiving, according to data from John Hopkins.
Much is still unknown about the new variant — scientists have still not confirmed information about its transmissibility, severity and impact on vaccine efficacy. But while labs across the country are increasing genome sequencing efforts to detect new variants, data shows that omicron is sparking a faster surge in positive cases in South Africa, and is potentially twice as transmissible as the Delta variant.
And while deaths from this new variant still remain relatively low, scientists are concerned about how quickly it’s spreading in highly vaccinated places like Europe and the U.K.
For those traveling during the holidays, it’s more important than ever to stay safe while seeing loved ones. Let us take you and your family to your destination — be it an airport or other location around New England — so you can avoid the stress of holiday travel.