Featured photo: Shanina C Knighton, PhD RN CIC
Written by Tanya Terry
A study in Japan released at the end of February found that the Stealth Omicron, also known as the Omicron BA.2 variant, strain could be as much as 30% more transmissible than the original Omicron variant, which was already the most contagious form of COVID-19 (https://fortune.com/2022/03/02/how-contagious-is-stealth-omicron-covid-subvariant-immunity/amp/). Plus, although there is information that suggests the Omicron variant is less severe than the Delta variant, it doesn’t mean it’s never serious.
Some people may still have severe disease, need hospitalization and could even die from the infection with Omicron.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the national public health agency of the United States, COVID-19 vaccines are working well to prevent severe illness, hospitalization and death.
In March 2022, 81% Genesee County COVID-19 hospital admissions were partially vaccinated, unvaccinated and/or had an unknown vaccine status. This is compared to 19% of those hospitalized with COVID-19 in the county who were fully vaccinated, having received two doses of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or one dose of Johnson & Johnson.
In addition, as of March 17, 2022, about 96.3 million people in the U.S. had received booster shots, according to consumerreports.org.
According to the CDC, vaccines remained 76% effective against hospitalization more than six months after a second dose when Delta was the predominant variant. After Omicron became the predominant variant, vaccine efficiency against hospitalization six months after a second dose, however, was 57%. But, two weeks after a booster dose, vaccine protection against hospitalization rose back to 90%.
The recent emergence of the Omicron variant further emphasizes the importance of vaccination, boosters and prevention efforts needed to protect against COVID-19, according to cdc.gov.
Shanina C Knighton, PhD RN CIC, recently talked to the Flint Courier News about suggested prevention efforts.
Knighton suggests continuing to use masks in closed in spaces, such as on public transportation.
“An elevator is a severely closed in space that doesn’t have outside air, and people cough and sneeze on elevators,” she said.
Knighton also said only 3-6% of people clean their hands correctly, and hand hygiene and often overlooked.
“Hand hygiene must occur when you’re putting on your mask, when you’re taking off your mask, when you’re touching elevator buttons, going down escalators,” she continued. “We are supposed to do it before we eat.”
Since soaps with triclosan were removed from the market in 2016 following an FDA ruling, Knighton didn’t recommend any particular soap for washing hands. She did say hands should be washed for 20-25 seconds-enough time to sing “Happy Birthday.” The front side and back sides of hands should be washed while washing the width of the hands, along with the fingernails and where the thumb meets the hand. If you have on any jewelry, it should be taken off.
“If you’re a person who has long nails or has artificial nails, COVID does love plastic and can live on plastic or plastic-like material for up to three days. So, it is recommended that you get a toothbrush and also scrub under your nails.”
Knighton said people sometimes don’t know whether droplets are transmitted from COVID-19.
“Whether it’s COVID droplets, whether it’s flu, whether it’s a common cold or whether it’s allergy droplets, you should still want to clean your hands. If you are someone who repeatedly sneezes with your allergies, this is the proper time to make sure you have the proper materials to be able to clean your hands with-and even still consider wearing a mask.”
Knighton reminds everyone that December-February is the peak of flu season, and COVID is following around those same patterns.
“As the numbers are going down, people are also getting a perception that things are over. Our concern is that towards the end of the summer or coming into the fall we’re going to be back in the same predicament, if not a worse situation, because the funding is being cut from COVID. So, a lot of the preventative mechanisms that we have put in place may not necessarily be.”
