What to know about omicron in Wilmington ahead of the holidays

Local health officials are preparing for the new COVID-19 variant omicron to make its way into the Carolinas in the coming weeks after the first case in the United States was reported Wednesday in California.

Leaders at Novant Health and in the New Hanover County Department of Health and Human Services said it's not a matter of if the omicron variant impacts Wilmington and surrounding areas, it’s when.

“I don’t think we have any doubts, and we are not surprised to have a new variant emerging on the scene,” said New Hanover County Health Director David Howard.

Omicron is the most recently discovered variant of the COVID-19 virus, first found in South Africa with numerous mutations around a week ago. Like other variants, omicron is expected to be more contagious than the original strain of the virus, and because it’s so new, health leaders around the world don’t know how severe it will impact people or how resistant it will be to immunity through vaccination.

David Priest, chief safety, quality and epidemiology officer for Novant Health, said the biggest red flag health officials saw in the omicron variant was that its mutations were largely seen in the spike protein, which impacts how a virus interacts with human cells. The human immune system and artificial immunity through vaccinations often targets the spike protein to attack a virus, so many questions still remain about the new variant and its impacts on the severity of COVID-19 cases.

He said it will remain unclear how transmittable omicron is, how it will interact with human cells and how resistant it will be to immune responses and therapies available to treat the virus.

First omicron case in the US: Where it was detected, vaccine effectiveness and symptoms

Masks in Wilmington: New Hanover health board repeals COVID-19 mandate in split vote after pressure from public

Giving thanks: After a year of social deprivation, Wilmington is thankful for community in 2021

However, Priest said it’s still important for the community to continue seeking out the COVID-19 vaccine and booster shots. He said in Novant Health hospitals, including New Hanover Regional Medical Center, none of the patients on ventilators with COVID-19 were vaccinated while very few patients currently hospitalized with COVID-19 were vaccinated.

“We knew this was coming, we're prepared to deal with it, and vaccination remains our best bet in protecting ourselves against these newer variants,” he said.

Carla Turner, New Hanover County assistant health director, said when the delta variant first began spreading in the Wilmington area, the health department saw an uptick in demand for vaccines. She said she anticipates the same will be true with omicron, especially now that the community has had ample time to see data around the vaccine as more people have received it.

New Hanover County currently has a positivity rate of 4.2% with 332 new cases in the last 14 days. Around 64% of the county's population has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Delta now makes up around 99% of COVID-19 cases in the area, and omicron could soon become even more prevalent. But amid the holiday season, health officials said it’s OK to continue to travel and see family and friends as long as proper precautions are taken.

Priest said if families plan to gather in groups, he recommends ensuring everyone in attendance is vaccinated. He also said socially distancing and wearing masks while indoors remains vitally important to slowing the spread of COVID-19.

“These are hard decisions for people to make but I would try to line up those factors and they decide what's best for you and your family,” he said.

COVID-19 vaccine for kids: Where can children get the COVID vaccine in the Wilmington area?

Transmission in NC: COVID spread plummeting in North Carolina, state data shows

Lawsuit lives on: Judge denies request to dismiss New Hanover lawsuit over mask mandate

Turner also recommended people check the CDC’s COVID Data Tracker, which breaks down transmission rates by county to see how the virus is spreading in areas they will be traveling to.

The New Hanover County health department is developing a pandemic operations team to "proactively manage" COVID-19 and its variants and plan for future viruses that may develop. The group will analyze the spread of diseases and manage operations and outreach around the current pandemic and any outbreaks that could happen in the future.

With flu season coming up and likely peaking in January and February, the community is also encouraged to get the flu shot, which is safe to get along with the COVID booster.

Flu and COVID-19 symptoms are very similar, so health officials said it’s important to contact a physician if you’re experiencing symptoms and get tested for both the flu and the coronavirus.

“Going into the winter season, flu season, we're all indoors a lot more and transmissions happen of all kinds of viruses. Giving yourself that boost of protection is a smart way to go,” Howard said.

Reporter Sydney Hoover can be reached at 910-343-2339 or shoover@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: How to stay safe from the COVID omicron variant ahead of the holidays