DALLAS (1080KRLD) - Dallas County officials have confirmed the first case of the omicron variant of COVID-19 in the county.
"We are sequencing this morning our first omicron case in Dallas County," Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said. "That's a discovered case. I'm confident that we've already had some omicron cases, but as far as lab-discovered cases... that first one is being sequenced."
He also said the infection rate of COVID-19, which is tracked by the Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation, went up over the past week. He urged people to continue to take precautions to limit the spread of the virus and to get the vaccine and the booster shot.
"Dosing can be important. For you vaccinated and boosted people, if you are around someone for a brief time, you're much less likely to get the highly transmittable omicron than if you're around them for an extended time. That's why masking at work and other places you go is very important."
Local medical experts said the existing vaccine can offer some protection against the omicron variant, primarily by reducing the severity of breakthrough infection.
"Just previously having COVID does not protect you from this variant. If you've had two doses of the vaccine, it protects you 70% from hospitalization. If you've been boosted again you have additional protection," said Dr. Trish Perl, Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
"We know that not only getting vaccinated but boosting is extremely important with this," she said. "The immunity from the two doses of the vaccine does wane over time when you look at this particular variant, so if you haven't gotten your booster and it's been six months, please go out and get that booster."
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