Oklahoma health department monitoring emerging COVID-19 omicron variant

“OSDH continuously monitors all COVID-19 variants, including the recently identified Omicron variant, to better assess the current and future state of the pandemic and its potential impact on Oklahomans. At this time, no cases of the Omicron variant have been reported in our state.

Based on what we currently know, the available COVID-19 vaccines continue to be the best tool in preventing cases of severe illness from the virus and emerging variants. We encourage all eligible Oklahomans to get vaccinated and consider getting a booster dose for additional protection.

We are more prepared than ever to respond to emerging variants with many tools and resources available to us, including early detection of COVID-19 variants through genomic sequencing. The OSDH Public Health Lab conducts sequencing as a surveillance tool for identifying variants within the state, and we are prepared to sequence for the Omicron variant. To aid in gauging the impact of COVID-19 in our community, as well as identifying new variants like Omicron early on, we encourage Oklahomans to get tested for COVID-19 if they are feeling sick.

Our team is in communication with national public health experts to stay informed on this new variant and its potential impact in the state. As more information becomes available to us, we will update Oklahomans.”