Is the COVID-19 omicron variant losing steam?
Possibly, according to Lyon County Public Health Emergency Preparedness Director Jennifer Millbern. On KVOE’s Newsmaker segment Thursday, Millbern said there’s a chance the omicron wave crested early this month.
Public Health announced 187 new cases Wednesday and 188 new cases Monday, but that’s far lower than the 493 new cases reported Jan. 19. There are some concerns that a sharply-reduced availability of COVID tests may play into the recent data, but Millbern says it appears there are fewer people seeking out those tests.
Millbern says other metrics aren’t great, with test positivity nearing 40 percent countywide and vaccinations relatively flat. On the other hand, testing availability has started to rebound through Flint Hills Community Health Center.
Part of the reason omicron may be slowing down is an increased presence globally of an omicron variant. Millbern says the so-called “stealth omicron” is causing tracking issues for genomic sequencing and it’s even more transmissible than the dominant omicron strain, but it appears infections aren’t any more severe in general terms and vaccines appear to be mostly effective against it.
