When does Omicron peak?Utah experts want it to be soon

Omicron Influencing Utah, Increase the number of COVID-19 cases in the state Although recording levels, health experts expect incredibly contagious variants to peak relatively quickly.

“Maybe it spreads very fast and it burns out very quickly,” said Han Kim, a professor of public health at Westminster College in Salt Lake City.

The Utah Department of Health does not report daily COVID-19 statistics on Friday due to the New Year holidays, but “unofficial data show about 4,700 new cases, which is one day. If not the maximum number of cases, it will be one of the largest. “

Most cases reported in one day in Utah are 4,706 on December 30, 2020. Over the past few days, Omicron and holiday celebrations have caused the state’s case count to skyrocket to its highest level since early January.

“Omicron is here and on the move. If you’re not vaccinated or boosted, it’s important to get it now,” the agency tweeted and masked Utahns at the rally. I was at home and urged me to take the test immediately, if any. Symptoms..

The surge caused by the delta mutation covers most of the state and the rest of the western mountainous region. Hotspots nationwide For COVID-19 in early November.

However, the South African government, which first identified a variant of Omicron in late November, announced Thursday: The case is plummeting According to the New York Times, after the surge, health officials have described it as “amazing.”

“It peaked in four weeks and then declined sharply in two weeks,” said Fareed Abdullah of the South African Medical Research Council. He said he did.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden’s Chief Medical Advisor, This Week’s Forecast Given the decline seen in South Africa, the United States will put an end to the latest wave of COVID-19 by the end of January.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox said in a series of tweets from his personal account on Thursday that “it may be a little bumpy in the coming weeks” as Omicron is skyrocketing in incidents in the state. May spell the end COVID-19 Pandemic.

“The best news is that some experts now believe that this wave will help move things from a pandemic to an endemic stage and bring things back to normal,” the governor said. Mentioned the differences in the spread of areas that are easier to manage.

Cox said the new variant may not be more “dangerous” than the Delta variant, which is clearly congested by the more contagious strain of COVID-19, but to slow the spread of Omicron. Advised Utahns to take precautions.

Booster shot According to the governor, the COVID-19 vaccine is still the best defense against all variants, and the N95 mask provides an additional layer of protection against the virus, avoiding large numbers of people and staying home if you feel sick. Encourage Utahns to be there.

Some people see the United States moving to a “soft” shutdown because of Omicron. And where the varieties have hit, sick employees are forced to stall their daily lives, disrupt hospitals, close stores, cancel flights, and interrupt other services.

“It’s always a balance,” Kim said. “To stop the spread of this virus, we need to completely shut down something as infectious as Omicron. There is no interaction,” but that is not the case in Utah and other countries.

He said it meant that Utahns “must make some difficult decisions” about the current increased risk of getting COVID-19, and it is presumed that the Omicron variant is already the cause. Said that 70% or more of all cases It is in a state.

According to Kim, Utan may choose a more modest New Year’s Eve celebration, wait for the number of climbing cases to diminish, and then engage in other activities that may be unnecessarily exposed to variants, such as eating out. I can do it.

According to the professor, canceling a restaurant reservation because Omicron is rampant in the state means monitoring the weather forecast before going on a road trip to avoid driving in a snowstorm. Is the same as.

“I don’t think I ask too much. I just minimize (risk) and be a little more careful for the next couple of weeks. Maybe it’s calm. But we know No, “Kim said.

Utahns would be better off pointing Omicron down than they were dealing with a previous version of COVID-19 last winter, largely due to the vaccine. Many people also have some immunity from previous attacks of the disease.

The professor said Omicron may indicate what COVID-19 will look like in the future.

“Honestly, this may be our future. Spikes like this could be seen again and we need to overcome them for a while before returning to our lives. Maybe, “Kim said. “Unfortunately I think it will be part of the” new ” normal.. “