🌱 Omicron Sends More Kids To Hospital + A Testing Guide

Hey gang, thanks for tuning in. Here are a few stories I'm watching and following:

• Covid: There are 2,875 active cases as of Jan. 5 and the extremely contagious Omicron variant is now the dominant strain in the USVI (responsible for 90 percent of the test samples recently sent to the CDC for sequencing.) And while Omicron appears to cause a milder illness in adults, it is not sparing kids. "We are seeing higher rates of Covid-19 among pediatric ages including newborn, infant and toddlers less than 5 years of age," said Dr. Tai Hunte-Caeser, medical director at the V.I. Department of Health. "This is the population that is unable to be vaccinated and are being exposed by their parents most likely." Full story in the Consortium: https://viconsortium.com/vi-co...
• Think you might have been exposed? Health officials advise taking a Covid-19 test within three to five days after exposure. Read more on why it is important to wait (and not test immediately) in The Consortium: https://viconsortium.com/vi-co...
• Is agritourism on the horizon for USVI? An interesting op-ed in the Daily News makes a strong case for promoting agritourism - agricultural tourism - in the USVI. Agritourism. It is well worth a read.
• American, Delta and United Airlines are offering flights to St. Thomas for as little as $214 round-trip, according to the popular travel website The Points Guy. Flights are available from February to November originating in several U.S. cities.

From our sponsor:

Hey US Virgin Islands, are you looking to buy a house, refinance or just explore your options? Check out the new Patch Mortgage Center for all your home financing needs!

Weather: Partly sunny, showers around. High: 83 Low: 76.

Events Today:

• Downtown Walking Tour - St Thomas History (9:00 a.m.)
• Mark Wallace and Eva Chen at Lovango Rum Bar in St. John (5:00 p.m.)
• Catch No Problemo playing at Brew STX in Christiansted (5:30 p.m.)

Social Highlights:

• "What was your favorite post on this page from 2021?" (What's Going on St. Thomas?)
• The Virgin Islands Department of Education mourns the passing of dedicated employees, Ms. Gregorianna Julien and Mrs. Juliette Schmidt-Green. (Facebook)
• There is no better time than NOW to start living healthy! Join #rocklifecrossfit TOMORROW, Thursday 1/6 for ANY of our 7 classes for a FREE trial! We offer more than CrossFit, including HIIT, Boot Camp, Midline Express, & Yoga. Check out our website for more information & then come on in! Click here to sign up. (Facebook)

Enjoying these emails? Here are 3 ways you can get more involved:

• Send a friend or neighbor this link so they can subscribe
• Get your local business listed in front of readers
• Send me a news tip or suggestion at ashleigh.baldwin@patch.com

You're all caught up for today. I'll be back in your inbox tomorrow.

— 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.