BATTLE CREEK, MI (WNWN/WTVB) – The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has notified the Calhoun County Public Health Department that the Omicron variant has been identified in four Calhoun County residents.
This comes after there were six reports of the Omicron variant in Kalamazoo County earlier this week.
Public Health Department Medical Director Doctor William Nettleton says, “The confirmed presence of the Omicron variant in Calhoun County aligns with estimates that it has become the predominant COVID-19 variant in our region. We must vaccinate, boost, mask, and also test frequently.”
The Omicron variant is considered by medical experts to be more transmissible than the original COVID-19 virus.
Calhoun County Health Officer Eric Pessell said, “With Omicron here, the next three to four weeks are going to be difficult. We are going to see cases rise higher than ever before and disruptions to our lives will be obvious. But like we’ve gotten through the pandemic so far, we will get through this together as a community. Take the necessary steps to mitigate spread so we can get through this together.”
As of 8 a.m. on Wednesday, January 5, Calhoun County has a cumulative total of 22,030 confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported to Calhoun County Public Health Department with a total of 453 deaths attributed to the virus. Between 7:00 a.m. Tuesday and 8:00 a.m. Wednesday, 134 new confirmed COVID-19 cases have been reported in Calhoun County.
The Calhoun County Public Health Department has updated general population quarantine & isolation guidance to align with the new guidance from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services also supports the new CDC guidance.
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