As the Omicron variant of COVID-19 becomes more prominent here in Louisiana and dozens of other states in the nation, Tulane epidemiologist, Dr. Susan Hassig, is fearing yet another surge in the virus that’s already killed more than 800,000 people in the U.S. “While we still have relatively few confirmed cases of Omicron that have been identified there are a lot of cases that have met kind of the probable Omicron definition,” said Dr. Hassig.
Hassig indicates that the clinical jury is still out on just how dangerous Omicron is compared to the known impact of the Delta variant. In speaking about Omicron, Dr. Hassig says “it may not be any more severe than Delta was but I would remind everyone that Delta still caused a lot of people to wind up getting very sick, especially those who were unvaccinated.”
Omicron is said to be a highly transmissible variant of COVID, and given that, and a persistent slow rise of the variant in the state, Dr. Hassig says Louisiana would be wise to re-implement an indoor mask mandate, even though such mandates are often ignored. “I think it would serve as a reminder that we do have a tool that can prevent spread,” said Dr. Hassig.
The Louisiana Department of Health says nearly two hundred people are currently hospitalized with COVID and 88-percent had not been fully vaccinated. The total death toll from COVID in the state since the start of the pandemic is now just shy of 15-thousand.
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