Not out of the woods
The omicron surge won’t last forever, but it’s certainly still going strong in the Chattanooga region. I’d like to share three reminders that could help us get through this wave faster and with less illness:
1. Many are dismissing omicron because it’s milder than previous strains, but as the CDC director said recently: “‘milder’ does not mean ‘mild.'” Because omicron is more transmissible and better able to evade protection from vaccines and prior immunity, many more people are falling ill, and that means many will be seriously ill and die.
2. Many who leave isolation for COVID-19 infection after five days are not following the guidance to keep masking in public until day 10. There is strong evidence that people remain infectious after day five, and if they’re not wearing a mask around other people, they’re contributing to the continued spread of disease.
3. N95 masks are better than KN95s, which are better than surgical masks, which are better than cloth masks, which don’t do a great job stopping omicron – but they are all better than nothing.