PLACER COUNTY, Calif. — Placer County has confirmed a total of five cases of the omicron variant in the county.
The first two cases were confirmed during the last week in December 2021 and the other three cases were confirmed this week.
The first two people who tested positive for the omicron variant were both unvaccinated, according to interim Public Health Officer Dr. Rob Oldham. The vaccination status of the three cases from this week has not yet been confirmed.
"Just the fact that we only have five right now, probably we have a lot more that we're that are in the hopper waiting to be sequenced," Dr. Oldham said.
With a record-high number of cases being reported around Northern California, Dr. Oldham said the dramatic increase in cases is being reflected in Placer County, as well.
"So you're in a huge explosion of cases, but not necessarily the same level of increase in hospitalizations that we might have seen, for instance, with the delta waves," Oldham said. "But I think our hospitals are still really stretched thin and so that that's actually our biggest concern right now."
Based on data from other countries, Dr. Oldham said he anticipates the omicron wave to be short-lived, but added that predictions with the pandemic haven't always been 100% correct.
"Probably you know, within the next four to six weeks, the worst of this will be over," Dr. Oldham said.
People have been sharing photos of long lines for rapid testing in the surrounding Sacramento area with many sites quickly running out of tests. Dr. Oldham said there is a large supply of rapid tests, but the demand is just as high.
"If you're striking out on rapid tests, the PCR test still is, I would say, the gold standard test and it's available in Placer County," Dr. Oldham said.
He said the county is continuing to recommend getting vaccinated and getting booster shots. About 63% of the population in Placer County is fully vaccinated and more than 107,000 booster shots have been administered, according to the COVID-19 dashboard.
For day-to-day protection, Dr. Oldham said the county is emphasizing masking especially, moving away from cloth masks and switching to medical masks such as surgical, KN94, KN95 or N95 masks.
Besides COVID-19, Oldham said last year there was almost zero flu activity. And while this year has seen more flu activity, its not an overwhelming amount. But, he said, it's possible flu season may not pick up until late January and even February. Dr. Oldham said there have been respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and other types of respiratory illness that have been circulating along with COVID-19.
For more information about COVID-19 in Placer County, visit the county website.
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