LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County’s interim Public Health officer said that while the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has not yet been identified in Lake County, risks associated with it are growing.
Dr. Gary Pace said surrounding counties are finding Omicron, which he said “almost certainly is spreading through our community.”
“We anticipate a large climb in cases in the coming weeks, and encourage businesses, schools, and families to prepare for many people testing positive and getting sick. Unvaccinated people are considered especially vulnerable to severe illness,” Pace said Thursday.
Statewide, Pace said there is a rapid increases in cases, with a slower increase in the hospitalizations. Death rates have remained stable.
“The lower proportion of serious illness may be due to Omicron causing milder disease, or simply lag time from catching the virus and having the infection become severe. Hospitals locally and around the state are pretty full, as is often the case this time of year. Further surges in COVID cases could quickly become overwhelming,” Pace said.
Pace said businesses and health care facilities are concerned about staffing. If large numbers of workers get sick and have to isolate, or have to quarantine as a close contact, it can cause real strain.
He urged residents to get vaccinated. “Without a doubt, the best strategy to slow this wave of Omicron-driven COVID-19 infections is to get fully vaccinated and boosted.”
Vaccination with a booster seems to provide good protection from serious illness, as seen in the United States and around the world. Pace said vaccinated people are still getting infected and can be contagious, although at lower rates than unvaccinated people. “The booster offers important additional protection, and everyone who is eligible should get one ASAP.”
In Lake County, Pace said more than one-third of the total population, greater than 20,000 people, have no vaccine-related immunity (residents younger than age 5 remain ineligible to be vaccinated, and 32-33% of those eligible are unvaccinated).
Lake County’s eight regular ICU beds and ongoing shortages in EMS ambulance transport out of county make it particularly vulnerable if large numbers of people get ill at once, Pace said.
Pace said the Health Department, county leaders, healthcare partners, and community organizations are all trying to work together to prepare, in case things get worse.
He encouraged people to wear masks indoors, and to upgrade to KN95 or N95 masks, when possible as Omicron appears especially able to transmit through the air.
In addition, Pace suggested those who are symptomatic or who have come into close contact with an infected person to get tested. Testing resources are available here.
Pace said the county is requesting state resources to help get a van that can be part of providing mobile vaccine sites in the coming weeks.
In other parts of the world, Pace said the Omicron spike rose rapidly, then dropped four to six weeks later.
“We encourage people to take extra precautions in the next few weeks, especially if you are at higher risk or unvaccinated. Hopefully, this wave will pass fairly quickly, and we can return to a more regular lifestyle. Taking some extra steps these next few weeks could be critical in preventing severe outcomes,” Pace said.