LOS ANGELES (KNX) — As Los Angeles County residents begin to gather for holidays, the Department of Public Health is encouraging all to educated themselves on the Omicron variant.
"Omicron was first detected in South Africa and designated a variant of concern by the World Health Organization on Nov. 26," the department said in a statement, adding that the variant was recognized by the CDC days later on Nov. 30.
Health officials added that of most concern are Omicron's 30 mutations to the virus' spike protein — the "door key" used to enter and infect humans.
"This could be concerning because mutations to the spike protein could increase how contagious the virus is," the department said, explaining that the virus' quick rate of spread has made it the dominant variant in South Africa.
To date, there are more than 35 countries that have confirmed cases of the variant.
What can we do now?
L.A. health officials said the most effective tool to fight the Omicron variant and COVID-19 itself is vaccination.
"COVID-19 is now one of the top 10 causes of death among children nationwide," the department said in a statement.
"The COVID-19 vaccine is the best way to protect your child from getting sick, being hospitalized, or developing long-term symptoms. Most importantly, vaccinating your child also helps protect family members, including siblings who are not eligible for vaccination and those who may be at high risk for getting very sick if infected."
To date, there have been more than 1.5 million cases of COVID-19 in L.A. County, with more than 27,000 virus-related deaths.
In L.A. County, COVID-19 cases among school-aged children decreased by 30% between late September and late November, the deparment said.
Pediatric trends mirror adult trends, with unvaccinated L.A. County residents over 18 infected and hospitalized at rates three and 14 times higher than vaccinated adults, respectively.
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