Omicron is Coming; what is the Next Step?

On Dec 1st, the first Omicron Virant case was reported in San Francisco, California. After that, there are more cases reported in the Bay Area and in 6 other states. New Jersey, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Pennsylvania and Utah each said their first cases of the Omicron variant on Friday. Missouri was awaiting CDC confirmation of a case involving a St. Louis resident who had recently travelled within the United States.

Even though scientists had mentioned that the symptoms of the Omicron variant are “extremely maid,” but there is no official knowledge that shows the effect of the Omicron variant. At this point, Dr. Anthony Fauci asked people to get their booster shots as soon as possible. Because "the number of neutralizing antibodies against all the variants." In addition, there are 99% of cases of Delta. So doing the testing frequently, wearing masks, keeping social distance, and taking the booster are the ways to help get this situation over faster. Here are some ways to get your vaccines:

1. Visit VaccineFinder.org (available in English and Spanish), to find vaccination providers near you.

2. Text your zip code to 438829 (English) and 822862 (Spanish) to find vaccine providers near you, and coordinate a free ride to a provider.

3. Call 1-800-232-0233 (available in 150+ languages) to find vaccine providers near you.

4. Check your local pharmacy’s website to see if vaccine appointments are available. To find out which pharmacies are participating in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program visit CDC’s Federal Retail Pharmacy Program website.

5. Contact your state health department to find additional vaccination locations in the area.

6. Check your local news outlets, they may also have information on how to get a vaccine.

7. There are also other resources such as Plan Your Vaccine to help you get started.

Christmas break is coming soon, people might planning to travel during this time. Therefore, we should take the vaccines to protect ourselves as well as others. So what booster you are planning to get?