Given the speed at which the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is tearing through the country, it’s imperative that we all take measures to limit our risk of infection. This particular variant is exceptionally contagious and has even infected a fair number of fully vaccinated individuals. That being the case, we should all seek to provide ourselves with maximum protection against Omicron. Luckily, bolstering your defenses against one of the novel coronavirus’s most infectious variants doesn’t have to be difficult.
Get Vaccinated
Relatively few people suffer from medical conditions that preclude them from getting vaccinated, and unless you happen to be one of them, you have no excuse for walking around without your vaccine. So, if you’ve yet to receive your initial COVID-19 vaccination, make a point of doing so posthaste. Just keep in mind that the CDC now strongly recommends the mRNA vaccines – i.e., Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna – over the Johnson & Johnson’s Jansen’s vax.
In addition to getting vaccinated against COVID-19, you’ll need to stay current with booster shots. Currently, adults who received the Moderna vaccine and people aged 12 and up who received the Pfizer-BioNTech vax are eligible for a booster at least five months after their initial series of shots. Additionally, adults who received the Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine are eligible for a booster at least two months after their initial shot.
As COVID-19 wears on, it’s become increasingly apparent that additional boosters may be necessary to provide maximum protection. For example, many immunocompromised individuals are now eligible to receive their second booster shots. Like the first booster, additional booster shots are likely to become available to non-immunocompromised individuals in the near future, so you’d do well to keep up with the news coming out of the CDC and the WHO.
Avoid Places and Events That Carry a High Risk of Exposure
Given Omicron’s highly contagious nature, crowded locales and events pose a significant health risk at the present time. As such, make a point of running certain errands remotely and taking advantage of contactless pickup options at various stories and restaurants. If venturing into a crowded public space can’t be helped, make sure that you’re securely masked. For maximum protection, try to procure high-quality N95 masks and face shields. Additionally, take care to practice proper social distancing measures whenever you’re out in public.
Do Your Job Remotely
Although remote work, which carries a number of advantages for both employers and employees, was quite popular during the first year of the pandemic, many businesses have begun calling on employees to return to the office. However, if your place of business doesn’t have a mandatory vaccination policy or require employees to mask up, feeling unsafe is entirely reasonable. So, if you don’t feel as if your employer is concerned with your personal safety, request that you be allowed to work remotely. As long as your job can be done efficiently from the comfort of home, the relevant parties should have little reason to refuse this request. No one should have to spend their days in a workplace that disregards common-sense safety measures, particularly during an active pandemic.
Stay in Touch with Your Physician
The threat of Omicron isn’t an acceptable excuse to neglect all other healthcare-related matters. In the interest of remaining in the best possible health, stay current with your annual physicals and keep in touch with your regular physician throughout the course of the pandemic. Furthermore, if you don’t have a general practitioner (GP), make sure to change this. Anyone residing in the Cincinnati metro area who’s in need of general family medical practice Montgomery can easily find a convenient assortment of options.
Additionally, if you believe you’ve been exposed to COVID-19 or find yourself experiencing non-emergency symptoms, place a call to your physician on the double. After hearing you out, they’ll be able to recommend the appropriate next steps.
With the Omicron variant accounting for the majority of new COVID-19 infections, no one should be taking this threat lightly. No matter how bad your pandemic fatigue has gotten, acting foolishly amidst a surge in new infections is liable to facilitate undesirable consequences. Fortunately, providing yourself with maximum protection against Omicron needn’t prove bothersome, difficult or financially strenuous. Anyone looking for effective ways to keep Omicron at bay should consider the measures discussed above.
