Omicron Variant: OC's Unwanted Guest As Holidays Arrive

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — Orange County's deputy health officer advises residents to dial down their holiday plans amid increasing coronavirus concerns.

In a news conference Monday, Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong advised residents to invest in better-quality masks, stay home and reconsider holiday get-togethers with large groups.

Her attention is on the expected winter surge in cases looming and possibly further fueled by the more-contagious omicron strain. It's the holidays, and with that come live performances, gatherings of friends and family, and even outings to the movies. All which she suggests we tone down until after the new year.

When asked about parents wanting to take their children to see holiday shows, Chinsio-Kwong said, "I get it. I have kids who really want to go out and see performances."

But, she added, she "went out and bought more disposable masks," and suggested that surgical N95 masks are preferred over cloth masks.

Chinsio-Kwong stressed residents should be on guard even while gathering outdoors.

"If you already bought your tickets to 'The Nutcracker,' I guess you can consider going ... but I would strongly advise your child, who is vaccinated, to wear a very snug N95 mask," Chinsio-Kwong told reporters.

Days after "Spiderman" received rave reviews and packed theaters, and the largest Hollywood opening weekend totals since the pandemic began, Chinsio-Kwong advised against going to the movies.

"You can do movies at home," she said. "It's actually better at home. You can get popcorn, spread your feet out. It's probably safer that way. ... But if you decide to go the movie theater, wear an upgraded mask ... and eat a snack afterward or outdoors."

Chinsio-Kwong said she is going to rethink holiday get-togethers.

"My family is fully vaccinated, but I'm really going to think hard about this one," she said. "I'm going to request all of my family members be fully vaccinated and boosted. I'm going to probably even give out a lot of masks as gifts to make sure they're safe. I'm not thinking about being in crowded areas."

Testing before getting together with loved ones is also suggested, though many over-the-counter rapid tests are vanishing from the shelves, residents say.

Orange County is 66 percent fully vaccinated, but about 700,000 residents have not gotten even one dose of vaccine, Chinsio-Kwong said.

"This is still a significant number," she said. "That means 1 in 5 who are eligible are not protected with even a single dose. This is problematic with delta and omicron circulating."

Even without the pandemic, winter is among the busiest times for hospitals, as there is often a rise in influenza and cardiac cases as well as domestic violence cases, she said.

Chinsio-Kwong acknowledged "mask fatigue" but emphasized that residents have to stick it out for at least another month or so.

To those still hesitant or nervous about getting vaccinated, she implored them to speak with their doctor.

Fears of side effects such as myocarditis from the vaccines are dwarfed by the impact COVID-19 can have on the heart, Chinsio-Kwong said.

Omicron Variant Arrives In Orange County, Latest Statistics

As the first case of the omicron variant has been brought to light in Orange County, hospitalizations remained stable Monday. The county logged just two more coronavirus deaths over a three-day period, according to data released Monday by the Orange County Health Care Agency.

Hospitalizations decreased from 198 on Friday to 195 on Monday, with the level of intensive care unit patients remaining at 56. The agency does not provide updates on Saturdays and Sundays.

Over the past three days, the county reported 1,355 new infections, raising the cumulative to 320,186. As of Monday, the overall death toll from the pandemic hovers at 5,853 people.

The health agency said that Orange County's first omicron variant infection was detected in an adult male resident who is fully vaccinated. Officials say that he has experienced mild symptoms from the illness.

The county had 24.9 percent of its ICU beds available and 70 percent of its ventilators in use. Of those hospitalized, 87 percent are unvaccinated and 89 percent in ICU are unvaccinated.

Studies show that Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are at least 70 percent effective against infection for the omicron variant, Chinsio-Kwong said. They nearly always protect recipients from hospitalization or death, she said.

For instance, of the Orange County residents who succumbed to COVID-19 this month as of Friday, seven of them were unvaccinated.

Three were older than 75, Chinsio-Kwong said.

One of the fatalities logged on Monday occurred this month, raising December's death toll so far to 11. The other one occurred in September.

November's death toll stands at 96. It is 126 for October, 196 for September and 182 for August.
In contrast, the death toll before the more-contagious delta variant-fueled summer surge was 31 in July, 19 for June, 26 for May, 46 for April, 202 for March and 620 for February.

January 2021 remains the deadliest month of the pandemic, with a death toll of 1,596, ahead of December 2020, the next deadliest at 985.