🌱 544 COVID-19 Cases Confirmed On Christmas Day, Omicron Is Here

Good morning! Whew. We made it through another Stressmess! But we've still got to face this Covid-mess. Cases are spiking across the territory and Omicron is the likely cause. Read on for more - and, on a lighter note, don't miss today's events.

First, today's weather:

Mostly sunny with a shower. High: 84 Low: 76.

Get the weekly forecast on Patch USVI.

Top Stories:

1. There are 544 active cases of COVID-19, confirmed as of Christmas Day. This is the highest number of active cases since the start of the pandemic. There are 240 cases on St. Croix, 296 cases on St. Thomas and 8 cases on St. John. The 7-day positive rate is the highest it has ever been: 11.6%. These numbers were posted by the V.I. Health Department to their Facebook page on Dec. 26.
2. Health Commissioner Justa Encarnacion told the V.I. Consortium on Thursday that the surge in COVID-19 cases is most likely due to the Omicron variant. "Based on the high numbers that we're seeing, it is highly likely, it is a high probability that our numbers are high because we have Omicron in the territory," she said. (V.I. Consortium)
3. As a result of the drastic spike in COVID-19 cases, Schneider Regional Medical Center is restricting all in-person visits and allowing only virtual visits. The hospital made the announcement in a press release on Friday, "Based on the rapid increase in Covid-19 cases on St. Thomas, Schneider Regional Medical Center will immediately restrict visitation to virtual visits only to protect its vulnerable patients and its staff, who are working tirelessly to provide care." (SRMC Press Release)

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Today's Events:

• Mellow Mondays Sunset Guided Tour of Coral World Ocean Park & Happy Hour (4:30 p.m.)
• Los Drunk Dumplings playing at Deep End Bar & Grill in Christiansted (6:00 p.m.)
• Steve Katz playing at The Fred in Frederiksted (5:00 p.m.)

Socal Buzz:

• Government House - US Virgin Islands: "Happy Birthday, First Lady Yolanda Bryan! Wishing you many, many more. Thank you for the many ways you touch our hearts. May God continue to bless and keep you." (Facebook)
• Friends of Virgin Islands National Park released the following PS: Boater guidelines from the Park here - https://www.nps.gov/viis/plany... 📷

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— Ashleigh Baldwin

About me: I'm the Patch Community News Editor for the U.S. Virgin Islands. I'm here to provide news you can use. Do you have a news tip, question or feedback? Please contact me at ashleigh.baldwin@patch.com.