Omicron threat in California: Your questions answered on COVID, travel and boosters
It won’t just be people traveling for the holidays — the omicron variant might well be, too.
COVID-19 cases have risen since Thanksgiving and the new variant is quickly spreading across the world. California detected its first case of omicron on Dec. 1, and since then the virus has been found in Los Angeles County, West Sacramento and San Diego.
With the holidays coming up again and more people traveling, cases may spike again. Health officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are forecasting that there could be up to 1,300,000 new cases by Dec. 25.
Here’s what we know so far about the omicron variant in California and holiday travel:
Can I get the omicron variant if I am vaccinated and boosted?
There have been cases where individuals who were fully vaccinated and received a booster were infected by the omicron variant.
“Current vaccines are expected to protect against severe illness, hospitalizations, and deaths due to infection with the Omicron variant,” according to the CDC. “However, breakthrough infections in people who are fully vaccinated are likely to occur.”
The agency is advising people to get fully vaccinated and boosted to slow transmission and reduce the chance of new variants emerging.
Booster shots offer antibody increases to continue protecting you from severe disease.
What about COVID-19 when traveling in an airplane?
According to the CDC, the variant can spread more easily compared to the original SARS-CoV-2 virus. But its transmission rate against the delta variant hasn’t been identified yet.
Airports and airlines will have guidelines to ensure COVID prevention, such as wearing masks. And despite being enclosed in an aircraft, the air in a plane is “very clean,” according to the International Air Transport Association.
“The risk of transmission in the modern cabin environment is low for a number of reasons: passengers face the same direction, seatbacks act as barriers, air flow is from the top to bottom,” according to the organization.
The air onboard is also half-fresh air and half HEPA-filtered, which can efficiently remove bacteria and viruses, such as SARS, by 99.9%.
If you must travel by plane for the holidays, the CDC recommends being fully vaccinated and getting tested for the virus three to four days before and after leaving the state. California officials recommend tests within three to five days of travel.
How do COVID-19 cases fare in California?
As of Dec. 17, California has a daily average of 5,370 reported cases, according to the California Department of Health’s COVID dashboard.
From Nov. 28 to Dec. 4, it was reported that unvaccinated people were 7.1 times more likely to be infected with the virus than fully vaccinated individuals.
How can I safely travel?
To stay safe this holiday season, the CDC recommends that people get their COVID vaccines and flu shot. You should also wear a face covering when in indoor public areas, which is already a statewide requirement in California.
This story was originally published December 18, 2021 at 5:00 AM.