The rise of the Omicron variant has been swift and brutal. Most people knew that this winter would see another rise in Covid cases, and responsible people got all of their vaccinations and booster shots and we thought we would be relatively safe. But Omicron seems to be coming for vaccinated people especially hard. Breakthrough cases are piling up. The Omicron variant seems like the most contagious variant we’ve seen thus far, although public health experts like Dr. Fauci say that this variant is less deadly (for vaccinated people) than the Delta Variant. Omicron now accounts for 73% of all new Covid cases in America. The people faring the best against the Omicron surge are those who were vaccinated and boostered with Moderna. Personally, I was double-shot vaccinated with Pfizer, but my booster was Moderna, and I wonder if that’s one of the reasons why I’ve managed to avoid this winter surge.
People are understandably freaking out, and it’s looking like there will be many last-minute Christmas cancellations and changes to various holiday plans. Americans have been trying to figure out if they have been exposed to Omicron and in cities across the country, testing sites have been overrun. Stores are running out of testing kits and it’s all a huge mess. So Joe Biden decided to give every American a free test kit:
— President Biden (@POTUS) December 22, 2021
Not only will Americans get free test kits sent to their home, but the Biden administration is also setting up emergency testing sites for areas – like New York – which are being overrun with new cases. FEMA will be doing pop-up vaccination clinics around the country too, and I would assume that FEMA will do booster shots. Question: we’re all preparing for our second booster shot, right? I’m ready for my fourth shot overall.
Omicron is also causing havoc in Europe, with many countries (Germany, Portugal) already imposing restrictions on holiday gatherings and closing down bars and such.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red.
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