CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — As the omicron variant continues to spread throughout the U.S., Public Health Director Annette Rodriguez said it is only a matter of time until the variant is found here in Nueces County.
Rodriguez said the health district is watching closely as the number of positive cases are starting to rise. The best way to prepare for the variant's arrival is to go back to all of the health protection measures we followed before, Rodriguez said.
"I've seen a lot of people around the community who have stopped wearing a mask, you really need to put those masks back on because Omicron is probably already here, we just haven't identified it," said Rodriguez.
The COVID-19 positivity rate has crept back up to over 5% and results from several positive tests that have been sent off for sequencing have not come back yet, Rodriguez said. There is a possibility that genome sequencing being done on those tests will confirm that they are the omicron variant, according to Rodriguez.
For the latest updates on coronavirus in the Coastal Bend, click here.
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