Category: Covid-19

The demand for COVID-19 tests in Connecticut is continuing in the new year.

COVID-19 cases are continuing to climb and the quest to get a test remains on the forefront of many people's minds. Over the past few days, there has been a lot of uncertainty about tests, but on Friday, hundreds of thousands of tests arrived to Connecticut.

Earlier this week, Governor Ned Lamont announced plans to distribute 3 million at-home COVID-19 testing kits statewide. A million would go to towns and cities and 2 million would go to schools.

On Thursday, a distribution delay was originally blamed on the supply chain, but then we learned the state had been outbid and the tests were going somewhere else.

Yesterday, 426,000 tests arrived to a warehouse in New Britain.

The governor was apologetic as he walked the line at a testing site in New Britain Friday. Unable to secure millions of tests, the governor was able to announce that they did get more than 400,000 overnight.

Democrats and Republicans are on a different page of how we should move forward in the immediate future.

"There were a lot of agreements to get tests and they were getting swooped up, sometimes the feds picked them up, sometimes they got rerouted to somebody else," Governor Lamont said.

Connecticut received a shipment of at-home rapid COVID-19 tests early Friday morning, according to the governor. He said the state has received 426,000 tests and there are more to come, including today.

"We really need to have an investigation over the what occurred because that was really the biggest hoax that was played on the state of Connecticut," House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora added.

It's unclear if the tests that were delivered were part of the original 3 million that were promised.

To put some numbers into perspective, while 426,000 tests sounds like a lot, based on the amount of tests the state has done, the shipment would only last about 10 days.

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Demand for COVID-19 Tests in Conn. Continues in New Year - NBC Connecticut

With omicron rates soaring, you may find yourself despairingly asking when or even if this pandemic is ever going to end.

The good news is that it will end. Experts agree on that. Were not going to totally eradicate Covid-19, but we will see it move out of the pandemic phase and into the endemic phase.

Endemicity means the virus will keep circulating in parts of the global population for years, but its prevalence and impact will come down to relatively manageable levels, so it ends up more like the flu than a world-stopping disease.

For an infectious disease to be classed in the endemic phase, the rate of infections has to more or less stabilize across years, rather than showing big, unexpected spikes as Covid-19 has been doing. A disease is endemic if the reproductive number is stably at one, Boston University epidemiologist Eleanor Murray explained. That means one infected person, on average, infects one other person.

Were nowhere near that right now. The highly contagious omicron variant means each infected person is infecting more than one other person, with the result that cases are exploding across the globe. Nobody can look at the following chart and reasonably conclude that were in endemic territory.

Looking at this data might make you wonder about some of the predictions that were floating around before omicron came on the scene. In the fall, some health experts were saying that they thought the delta variant might represent the last big act for this pandemic, and that we could reach endemicity in 2022.

The outlook is more uncertain now. So how should you be thinking about the trajectory and timeline of the pandemic going into the new year? And how should omicron be shaping your everyday decision-making and risk calculus?

Heres one big question youd probably like the answer to: Does omicron push endemicity farther off into the future? Or could it actually speed up our path to endemicity by infecting so much of the population so swiftly that we more quickly develop a layer of natural immunity?

That is really the million-dollar question, Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, told me. Its really hard to say right now.

Thats partly because endemicity isnt just about getting the viruss reproductive number down to one. Thats the bare minimum for earning the endemic classification, but there are other factors that come into play, too: Whats the rate of hospitalizations and deaths? Is the health care system overburdened to the point that theres a precipitous space or staffing shortage? Are there treatments available to reduce how many people are getting seriously ill?

In general, a virus becomes endemic when we (health experts, governmental bodies, and the public) collectively decide that were okay with accepting the level of impact the virus has that in other words, it no longer constitutes an active crisis.

With omicron surging right now and many governments reimposing stricter precautions as a result, its clear were still in crisis mode. But so much depends on the burden itll place on the health care system, Rasmussen said. And thats going to be different from community to community.

Even though omicron so far seems to result in milder disease than previous variants, a massive increase in cases could still lead to a big increase in hospitalizations and deaths. That could further stress health care systems that are already in dire straits. Thats why Rasmussen concludes that omicron certainly has the potential to delay endemicity.

But there are also some hopeful things to bear in mind. The incredible number of infections is building up population-level immunity. Thatll be crucial in terms of muting future waves, said Joshua Michaud, associate director for global health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation.

In addition to omicron potentially building up some immunity in the vast numbers of people who are becoming infected with it, vaccinations and boosters are also contributing to a significant immunity wall thats being built, he said. But he cautioned that thats a wall to the variants weve seen already. There could be another variant which could evade immunity down the road. Some experts are already conjecturing that getting infected with omicron may not give you much cross-protection against other variants, though a small early study showed positive signs on that front.

This is why Ramussen says the key determinant of when the pandemic ends is how long it will take to make vaccines accessible around the world (and to combat ongoing vaccine hesitancy). Currently, were not vaccinating the globe fast enough to starve the virus of opportunities to mutate into something new and serious. If only a very small proportion of people are getting access to vaccines, were just going to keep playing variant whack-a-mole indefinitely, Rasmussen said.

In the meantime, we do have another ace up our sleeves, which will hopefully also become available around the globe sooner rather than later: new treatments like Pfizers paxlovid, recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and Mercks molnupiravir, also FDA approved that reduce the rates of hospitalization and death from Covid-19.

Very important in the context of endemicity is the antiviral pills, Michaud said. If we have those tools, were looking at a very different state going into 2022. People shouldnt feel like were back to square one.

Dire headlines notwithstanding, were in much better shape than we were at the start of the pandemic. Weve discovered a lot more information about how Covid-19 works. Weve manufactured effective masks, vaccines, boosters, treatments, and rapid tests.

Weve also learned that having to hunker down comes at a real cost to our mental and economic health and wellbeing. The cost of a strict lockdown may have been worthwhile in March 2020, but by and large, thats not what US experts are advising now.

They are, however, urging us to take more precautions than we might have been in the weeks leading up to omicron.

Take Bob Wachter, for example, the chair of the department of medicine at the University of California San Francisco. In the fall, he shifted from being very cautious about Covid-19 to taking some more calculated risks, including dining indoors at restaurants and even hosting an in-person medical conference with 300 attendees. But now that omicron is causing cases to skyrocket, hes being more cautious again.

I see the next few months as a time to fortify ones safety behaviors, he wrote on Twitter. Heres how he explained his reasons:

The other experts I spoke to agreed that now is a time to limit risky activities.

I had taken my foot off the brakes in terms of my own behavior. But Ive now started to put it on again, Michaud told me. I canceled plans to go to New Jersey to visit my family over Christmas. Im avoiding more indoor environments. As of now, it does make a lot of sense to me to take additional steps to prevent yourself and those around you from getting infected.

After the omicron wave passes, he said, he envisions relaxing precautions again. Modeling suggests that omicron could peak in mid- to late January in the US, with case rates steeply declining and activities becoming correspondingly safer again in February.

Rasmussen is also modifying her behavior in light of omicron, though she emphasizes thats not the same as going back to a spring 2020-style lockdown. Although she canceled an international flight over the holidays, she still felt comfortable going over to her colleagues house for a Christmas meal. Thats because she and they had vaccinations, boosters, rapid tests, and great ventilation working in their favor.

We have a lot more tools at our disposal for dealing with this than we did in March 2020, she said.

Well know endemicity has arrived when those tools and the long, painful experience of the pandemic itself has enabled us to fully adapt to the virus, as the virus has adapted to us.

Update, January 1, 2022: This story has been updated to reflect new evidence on the severity of omicron illness.

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Will omicron delay the end of the pandemic or speed it up in 2022? - Vox.com

Former Miss Mississippi Kathy Manning Dead After COVID-19 Battle | PEOPLE.com Skip to content Top Navigation Close this dialog window Explore PEOPLE.com Close this dialog window Share & More Close this dialog window View image

Former Miss Mississippi Kathy Manning Dies of COVID-19 Complications at 59

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Former Miss Mississippi Kathy Manning Dies of COVID-19 Complications at 59 - PEOPLE

The New England Patriots will host the Jacksonville Jaguars with reinforcements.

Quarterback Brian Hoyer as well as linebackers Matt Judon, JaWhaun Bentley, Josh Uche and Brandon King have all cleared protocols and been activated from Covid-19 reserve ahead of Sundays matchup, as reported by ESPNs Field Yates and the Boston Globes Jim McBride.

Hoyer was among three added to the list on Dec. 28, following defensive starters in Judon and Bentley on Dec. 27.

Hoyer, 36, has appeared in four games this season while completing 6-of-7 passes for 164 yards and one touchdown. Second on the quarterback depth chart, the 2009 undrafted free agent out of Michigan State is in his third tour with the organization.

Judon, 29, stands with a career-high 12.5 sacks to go with 57 tackles and one fumble recovery in his first Patriots campaign. The 2016 Baltimore Ravens fifth-round pick out of Grand Valley State recently earned his third consecutive Pro Bowl honor.

Bentley, 25, ranks second on the defense with 88 tackles and has added one sack along with his initial three forced fumbles. Arriving in the fifth round of the 2018 draft, the Purdue product has played 62 percent of New Englands snaps in a contract year.

Uche, 23, has registered 10 tackles, three sacks and one fumble recovery through 10 games as a sophomore. The 2020 second-round draft choice via Michigan returned from injured reserve on the eve of Week 16.

King, 28, spent the past two seasons on injured reserve and physically unable to perform after suffering a torn quad. The 2015 undrafted signing from Auburn has since played 274 snaps on special teams and recorded 10 tackles.

In further New Years Day movement, the Patriots announced the elevations of wide receiver Kristian Wilkerson, defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale and cornerback DAngelo Ross from the practice squad. Scheduled to revert on Monday, each previously served as call-ups for last Sundays 33-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Wilkerson, 24, has checked into three games for New England since landing on the practice squad to begin 2020, totaling nine snaps on offense and 11 snaps on special teams. The wideout originally signed with the Tennessee Titans as a rookie free agent out of Southeast Missouri State.

Ekuale, 27, rotated in for a season-high 21 defensive downs last weekend and has logged five tackles and two sacks for the Patriots. Joining the practice squad at its formation, the Washington State alum made prior stops with the Cleveland Browns and Jaguars after going undrafted in 2018.

Ross, 25, made his NFL debut with five snaps in the secondary versus Buffalo. A member of the 2019 Patriots undrafted class, the New Mexico transfer spent his rookie year on injured reserve and was an inactive elevation from the practice squad for last Januarys finale.

Kickoff at Gillette Stadium is set for 1 p.m. ET.

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Matt Judon among five Patriots activated from Covid-19 reserve ahead of Jaguars matchup - Pats Pulpit

Napoli forward Victor Osimhen has tested positive for Covid-19, the Serie A club said on Thursday, while injuries have ruled out defenders Abdullahi Shehu, who plays in Cyprus for AC Omonia, and Glasgow Rangers' Leon Balogun, according to the AFCON website.

"Health concerns, injuries constrain changes to Nigeria's final 28-man list for AFCON 2021," read the NFF's Instagram post on Friday.

Speaking ahead of Watford's home game against Tottenham Hotspur on New Year's Day, Watford manager Ranieri said that the club had been "ready" to allow Dennis to be selected and suggested that the NFF missed the deadline to call up the forward.

"No [we have not disrespected [AFCON], we respect everybody," Ranieri told reporters on Friday.

"They [Nigeria] have a lot of players and they change the manager, then we change everything and then we were ready -- we knew.

"We were ready to give the players -- they didn't do this. Then the two boards spoke and then for me it's OK."

Neither Watford nor the NFF immediately responded to CNN's request for comment.

'Tinged with racism'

"Is there ever a tournament more disrespected than the Africa Cup of Nations?," Wright said in a video posted on his Instagram on Wednesday.

"There is no greater honor -- none, as a sportsperson -- than representing your country. The coverage is completely tinged with racism.

"We played our Euros across 10 countries in the middle of a pandemic and there's no issue at all. But Cameroon, a single country hosting a tournament, is a problem.

"You are getting journalists asking players -- players getting asked -- if they will be honoring the call-ups to their national teams. Imagine if that was an English player representing the Three Lions -- can you imagine the furore?"

Hosted by Cameroon, AFCON's 33rd edition runs from January 9 to February 6.

Nigeria is in Group D with Egypt, Sudan and Guinea Bissau. Nigeria's first match is against Egypt in Garoua on January 9.

Meanwhile Gambia has had to cancel two friendlies in Qatar ahead of AFCON due to a number of Covid-19 cases and injuries -- involving as many as 16 players and five officials -- in their squad.

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Nigeria's Africa Cup of Nations' preparations hit by Covid-19, injuries and Watford 'baring fangs' - CNN

For the first time this week the Raiders reserve/COVID-19 list got smaller. It got a lot smaller, in fact. Cut in half over the past couple days, to be exact. And among the players who have returned are some key defenders.

The linebacking corps was gutted this week, leading to the signing of a couple free agents. Today they got some good news with the return of leading tackler and Pro Bowl LB Denzel Perryman along with fellow starting LB Cory Littleton. This a day after they got LB KJ Wright back.

Additionally they got starting cornerback Casey Hayward back along with defensive tackle Darius Philon and QB Marcus Mariota.

There are still six players on reserve/COVID-19 list as of now. Among them are TE Darren Waller and DE Carl Nassib.

The team also announced the elevation of several players from the practice squad: S Jordan Brown, OL Hroniss Grasu, WR Tyron Johnson and DT Damion Square

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Raiders activate several starting defenders from reserve/COVID-19 ahead of facing Colts - Raiders Wire

With questions swirling about how well rapid COVID-19 tests work when it comes to detecting the omicron variant, leading scientists are now reassuring the public that they do work, and have a valuable role to play in the ongoing pandemic.

Among them is Dr. Bruce Tromberg, director of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering at the NIH, and the top scientist in charge of Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics. RADx, a new government-funded NIH program, was tasked with rapidly increasing the nation's testing capacity and studying how tests perform when faced with new variants.

"The tests are an essential component of what we need, especially in the time of very rapidly expanding omicron," Tromberg said.

While PCR tests are very effective at detecting the presence of even small amounts of virus, rapid tests have become a quick and easy way to determine if a person is contagious. In a Tuesday announcement, the Food and Drug Administration said rapid tests do detect the omicron variant, but in a laboratory setting they did not perform as well as they have with earlier variants.

The FDA announcement, described by one expert as a kind of curveball, lacked specific numbers and sparked confusion and dismay among some experts and Americans who have been using rapid tests to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 to loved ones over the holidays.

Dr. Michael Mina, a vocal advocate for increased rapid testing use and the chief science officer for eMed, told ABC News, "There is no reason and no data to support that the tests are less able to detect omicron virus."

News from the FDA about rapid tests' ability to detect omicron comes on the heels of the Biden Administration's announcement that the U.S. will have 500 million at-home rapid tests available starting January.

But Tromberg said Americans should "absolutely not" be discouraged from using rapid tests based on this FDA announcement, which was based on preliminary laboratory studies on live virus samples combined from multiple patients and run on a relatively small number of rapid test brands.

People line up to take COVID-19 test at a free PCR & RAPID testing site in Chicago, Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021. Illinois has 30,386 new COVID-19 cases diagnosed statewide, public health officials announced Thursday, smashing by more than 9,000 the previous state record for new cases in a day and nearly doubling the high from last fall's surge. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Those tests showed a potential dip in effectiveness, but, "It's not like they fell off the map," he said. The FDA also said more clinical studies are needed.

Preliminary studies conducted in a lab can offer clues, but are not as reliable as real-world studies done on real people. Those real-world clinical studies are currently being conducted, and results should be available shortly, Tromberg said.

He expects clinical studies to show the tests are working at an acceptable level.

"We already know that the clinical performance is better than this laboratory benchtop performance, just in our early studies that we're getting."

"I have confidence that the tests that we have on our shelves can pick up omicron," Tromberg said. "There will be different levels of performance, we need to really work through all of those and understand them for every test."

One reason rapid tests might perform differently is because of the increased infectiousness of the new variant, said Mina.

"Is it that the test is less sensitive, or is the virus more infectious?" he said.

"Omicron is more infectious, and therefore, it is possible that people can start spreading the virus hours or a day before they are testing positive, but after that, the test will still work when people are most infectious just as they have been working throughout the entirety of the pandemic," Mina said.

Even if some rapid test performance is diminished, Tromberg said, "They still can be extremely powerful and effective at interrupting the chain of transmission of the virus."

The FDA has authorized 43 rapid antigen tests including at least a dozen at home versions.

Several testing companies have said their tests still work to detect omicron, with Abbott saying Tuesday that the company has tested the popular BinaxNOW rapid test using the omicron variant from live virus and found the test "performed at equivalent sensitivity" compared to prior variants.

But the FDA said tests could be updated if further testing shows updates are needed.

"Studies are underway to confirm the reason for the apparent decreased sensitivity," FDA spokespersons Stephanie Caccomo said. "Once that is known, adjustments to existing tests can be undertaken by each developer with support from the FDA, if appropriate."

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Top COVID-19 test scientist says there's no reason to stop using rapid tests - ABC News

For immediate release: December 30, 2021(21-264)Spanish

Contact: DOH Communications

OLYMPIA The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is offering a detailed reminder about what people should do if they test positive for COVID-19. Cases are rising sharply, driven by the omicron variant, which is believed to be more contagious than previous variants, including delta. Tracking cases and preventing further spread of disease starts with testing; anyone with any signs or symptoms of COVID-19 or known exposures should get tested, regardless of vaccination status or prior infection.

What to do if you test positive:

With New Years celebrations on the horizon, people should consider avoiding large crowds, and anyone who tests positive should stay home. People looking for where to get tested should visit the Testing Locator page on the DOH website. Locations are listed by region. People should also consider activating WA Notify on their smart phones, which anonymously sends alerts to people who have been exposed.

As cases continue to rise, people may need a reminder of what to do if they test positive, said Tao Sheng Kwan-Gett, MD, MPH, Chief Science Officer. We hope this is a helpful guide and reminds people of all the tools we have in our toolbox to protect ourselves, as individuals, our families, and our communities.

Vaccination is still the best defense against COVID-19, especially severe disease. Everyone 16 and over is eligible for a booster, and children 5 and over should start their two-dose series immediately.

The DOHwebsite is your source for a healthy dose of information. Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Sign up for the DOH blog,Public Health Connection.

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What to do if you test positive for COVID-19 - Washington State Department of Health

TAMPA BAY, Fla In the past 7 days, Florida has seen more than 206,000 new COVID-19 cases. Thursday, the state hit nearly 58,000 cases in one day alone, and health experts say those numbers are tremendously higher than when delta hit its peak in August 2021.

Just for some context, the delta peak was 21,641. So were nearly 8,000 more a day than at our delta peak in terms of cases, said Dr. Jason Salemi, Associate Professor of Epidemiology at USF College of Public Health.

But when it comes to hospitalizations, while the numbers are up, they arent like what we saw in the summer of 2021.

Two weeks ago, we were at 1,200 adults hospitalized for COVID-19, now the state is at more than 4,433. But for context, once again, in August when delta was at its peak, we had nearly 17,000 people hospitalized for COVID. That's nearly five times higher than versus now. It may be an indication omicron isn't as severe. But Dr. Salemi thinks it could be because we're better at fighting it.

By this point in the pandemic, a lot of people have either been vaccinated, boosted or have had prior infections so if a large percentage of new cases are people who have had some built up immunity it can make it seem as though omicron is less severe but yet it might just be because our immune systems are well adapted to be able to fight against it, he said.

But because of its high transmissibility, even if it is less severe we could still see a high number of hospitalizations. Dr. Salemi points out some of these cases could be incidental positives.

People go to the hospital for other reasons, but once they are tested, they test positive for COVID, he said. Its pretty difficult to wade through all of this data and really get a good handle on how many people are landing in the hospital or the intensive care unit because of this omicron or the existing delta variant.

Its why he thinks hospitals should make their reporting more granular so we have a better idea of whats really happening. He says the best thing we can do right now to protect ourselves and others is get vaccinated and boosted.

Being exposed to a virus and getting infected prior, its much more likely to ramp up your immune system and offer you some sort of protection but that protection is very variable, he said. But I can tell you, my takeaway message to people is even if youve had prior infection, the best thing you can do is to get vaccinated and also implement all of those mitigation strategies.

And while adults still outpace kids when it comes to hospitalizations, the number of kids admitted to the hospital with COVID has grown.

Two weeks ago there were just 24 kids statewide in the hospital with COVID-19. Now, that number is about 90 kids which is a 275% increase. Compared to Deltas peak, the numbers are still low.

My take-home is you need to have a balance just like everything else, so if theyre going back into the school setting its making sure that we put all of the mitigation strategies in place, said Dr. Salemi. That includes mask-wearing, social distancing, ventilation infiltration of the air in the indoor environments. The use of antigen testing and making sure the kids arent positive and not going to school when you have any sore symptoms.

Dr. Salemi says its great to see the City of Tampa open up additional testing sites. He says it will encourage more people to get tested. If wait times in lines are too long, he says it may discourage people from doing the right thing.

Dr. Doug Ross, AdventHealth Tampa Chief Medical Officer, said people with symptoms should go to a testing site or the urgent care, but avoid the emergency room.

"If you have mild symptoms and you're concerned about COVID which you should be, testing sites are the best place to go, not the emergency rooms," said Dr. Ross.

Dr. Ross warns against large gatherings for New Year's Eve. He also encourages people to get vaccinated and practice social distancing.

"The patients who are being admitted are once again not vaccinated or not boosted so getting a booster is clearly a very important part of getting a milder care of this omicron or even of delta," said Dr. Ross.

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COVID-19 trends: The latest on omicron and hospitalizations in Florida - ABC Action News

Omicron symptoms may be just like the last highly contagious strain of COVID-19, an Intermountain Healthcare infectious diseases specialist said Thursday, predicting the new variant will soon be responsible for all of Utahs skyrocketing number of cases.

Still, there was some hope that the new variant means the deadly virus is loosening its grip on the state from Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, who tweeted omicron may be the beginning of the end of the pandemic thats heading into a third year.

During a virtual news conference by the regions largest health care provider, Dr. Eddie Stenehjem told reporters that when it comes to COVID-19 symptoms, we havent seen any major differences with omicron versus delta.

Symptoms range from the sniffles to serious illness, Stenehjem said.

Anything from a common cold symptom, so a runny nose, nasal congestion, that certainly could be COVID-19 caused by omicron, he said, as well as high fevers, a cough and shortness of breath that may send patients to the intensive care unit.

Because the symptoms mirror other infections circulating this winter, including the common cold, influenza and RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, its really challenging right now, Stenehjem said.

So its just so important if you have any sign or symptom of a respiratory infection, regardless of how mild it is, you need to get tested for COVID-19, the doctor said, as the even more transmissible variant sweeps through the state.

Utah saw case counts shoot up to more than 3,300 on Wednesday, the highest since early January and nearing the daily record of more than 4,700 cases set just over a year ago. On Thursday, 3,563 new cases were reported by the Utah Department of Health.

Those numbers are anticipated to keep going up, Stenehjem said, citing sharp spikes seen in the United Kingdom and other parts of the world since the omicron variant was first identified in South Africa in late November before showing up in Utah soon after.

While there is what he termed anecdotal data coming from other countries suggesting the new variant causes milder illness, there are still plenty of people that have gotten severely ill with omicron as well, especially those who are older or immunocompromised.

Its too early to say omicron is a sign that COVID-19 is mutating into a less severe disease, maybe more like the common cold, Stenehjem said, blaming the variants rapid spread on its ability to evade immunity from vaccines or previous infection.

Booster shots, expected to soon be available to 12- to 15-year-olds, appear to offer the best protection against omicron, he said. Vaccines are available to any Utahn 5 and older but a booster following the initial shots have been available only to those at least 16 years old.

Some types of monoclonal antibody treatments used in the early stages of COVID-19 are not effective against omicron, the doctor said, so providers are working with the state to distribute the limited supplies of those that do work and prioritize patients.

Other treatments, such as antiviral pills, are also in short supply, Stenehjem said.

Hopefully, he said, the surge in cases driven by omicron and holiday gatherings will turn out to be a small blip but it will be a week or so before hospitals see the full impact. Already, hospital ICUs are about 93% full, down slightly since being at capacity before Christmas.

Dont let this give us false hope, the doctor said of hospitalization numbers.

Even if omicron does end up being milder than the delta variant behind making Utah and other intermountain states the nations COVID-19 hot spot last month, the sheer number of new cases expected means hospitals will still be jammed, he said.

But Utahs governor offered an upbeat assessment of omicrons impact on the state in a series of tweets from his personal account Thursday.

The next few weeks may be a little bumpy, but we have more tools than ever before to protect ourselves! he tweeted after citing a number of positive ways omicron differs from what he called the more dangerous delta variant.

Vaccines (especially boosters) remain the best way to protect against all variants. N95 masks can also help add a layer of protection. Avoid large crowds esp if vulnerable. Please stay home if you feel sick. Testing sites will be carrying heavy loads, so please be patient.

The governor closed by suggesting the end of the pandemic may be in sight.

The best news is that several experts now believe this wave will help us move from pandemic to endemic phase and get things back to normal. We remain forever indebted to our amazing healthcare workers who continue to give everything to save lives. Heres to a happy New Year, Cox tweeted.

Stenehjem also said theres room for some optimism, especially if Utahns double down on some of the same mitigation measures recommended throughout the pandemic by wearing masks and avoiding others.

Thats particularly important for children returning to school after the holiday break, he said, urging them to wear good quality, well-fitting masks and practice social distancing. Schools should ventilate classrooms by opening windows despite the cold, Stenehjem said.

We know what works. Weve just got to go out and do it, he said. The doctor agreed with the governor that omicron will soon take over from the delta variant, becoming responsible for 100% of all cases in the state within weeks.

Despite case counts similar to those seen at the peak of the pandemic last winter, Stenehjem said, people can get into this very doomsday mindset, but where we are now is much, much different than where we were.

Thursdays jump to 3,563 new COVID-19 cases comes after the state health department upped the percentage of cases estimated to be caused by omicron from around 65% to more than 70%.

Utahs rolling seven-day average for positive tests is now at 1,898 per day, and the rolling seven-day average for percent positivity is 12.4% when all test results are included and 8.4% when multiple tests by an individual are excluded.

More people were tested in Utah for the deadly virus in the past day than got vaccinated. There were 14,378 vaccine doses given since Wednesday while 15,419 people were tested and 28,777 tests administered in the state.

Currently, 436 people are hospitalized in Utah with COVID-19. An additional seven people have died from the virus, bringing the states COVID-19 death toll to 3,787, after a death reported Wednesday of a Tooele County man, between 45 and 64, was removed.

The state health department will not update numbers again until next week due to the New Years holiday. The deaths reported Thursday are:

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What are omicron symptoms like? Utah doctor says its the same as other COVID variants - Deseret News