As COVID-19 cases continue to surge throughout Orange County and the state, largely due to the omicron variant, local health leaders continue urging everyone to receive their COVID-19 vaccine and booster shot.
Locally, COVID-19 cases are skyrocketing. At UNC, more than 1,000 cases were reported from the campus community prior to the start of the spring semester. Over the last seven days in Orange County, there were more than 1,700 cases.
Orange County Health Department Director Quintana Stewart recently spoke with 97.9 The Hill about these changes in COVID-19 trends.
“It’s not looking great,” Stewart said. “We have lots of COVID circulating currently in the county. We are absolutely in a high transmission rate, as is every county across the state at this point. The omicron variant, it’s here, in addition to some of the delta variants still circulating.”
Stewart said she’s been in contact with UNC leadership throughout the pandemic about new safety protocols. She said she thinks UNC, like many other schools in the state, is working to do the best they can with the information available to them.
“I think there will never be a perfect plan to this COVID response,” Stewart said. “There are so many factors and things that are just unique to each community.”
Alongside the COVID-19 vaccine, UNC is urging the campus community to receive their coronavirus booster shot to keep the community safe. Both these mitigation measures have been shown to lessen the spread of the virus and add extra layers of protection against it. Now, booster shots are available for even more people.
On a national level, the Center for Disease Control recently announced its recommendation for a booster of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 12 to 15. Children aged 5 to 11 were recommended a booster of the Pfizer vaccine if they have compromised immune systems.
The waiting time between vaccines and booster shots for Pfizer was also shortened to five months. Boosters for the Moderna vaccine are recommended six months post vaccination and the boosters for the Johnson & Johnson are recommended for two months after vaccination.
According to CDC data, 75 percent of Orange County’s population is fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and 95 percent have received at least one dose. Of the fully vaccinated population, 25 percent have received a booster dose.
Stewart urged everyone now eligible to get their booster vaccine.
“We know that it gives a great layer of protection,” Stewart said. “It does not mean you can’t catch the virus, but they do seem to show effectiveness against severe illness, hospitalization and death.”
Stewart said there’s still more research being done, but booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine could likely become an annual vaccination for the population – like the flu shot.
Although cases are continuing to rise, Stewart said she’s hopeful cases will peak soon, which would eventually result in a decreased number of new cases. She said she believes everyone is still figuring out what the “new normal” will be surrounding the pandemic.
“It feels like, you know, COVID is here and will be here with us for a while,” Stewart said. “We just got to figure out how do we function and continue on in a safe way.”
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