Two reports last week confirmed the presence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in Oklahoma, the highly contagious strain that is reportedly responsible for driving spikes in infection across the country.

The Oklahoma State Health Department reported the first confirmed case last Tuesday, but a team of scientists, epidemiologists and public health leaders discovered the variant in sewage samples collected in Tulsa on Dec. 17.

People infected with SARS-CoV-2 shed the virus in their waste before they develop symptoms of COVID-19, allowing scientists to provide an early warning of surges and, now, the presence of the new variant.

The discovery of the Omicron variant was made through the efforts of a team from the University of Oklahoma, OU Health, the Tulsa Health Department and the City of Tulsa and supported by the Pandemic Prevention Institute at the Rockefeller Foundation.

Since September 2020, the team has been monitoring wastewater drainages in Tulsa, Oklahoma City and, more recently, several smaller cities.

“The recent detection of the Omicron variant in wastewater means that a significant number of Tulsans are now infected with it,” said Dr. Jason Vogel, of the Oklahoma Water Survey at OU and one of the leaders of the collection team.

“While our data suggests that infections from the Omicron variant are still a fraction of the infections from Delta variant SARS-CoV-2, Omicron is on the rise.”

One online source, statnews. com, reported that Omicron is now responsible for 73% of new COVID cases nationwide and more than 90% in some areas of the country, including a five-state area comprised of Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana.

The Mayo Clinic predicts that Texas will have the fifth highest number of daily cases on New Year’s Eve, following New York, Florida, Illinois and Ohio.

While the omicron variant has not been specifically reported in the county, “we are seeing an uptick in (COVID) cases in Kingfisher County,” Maggie Jackson, health department community engagement and health planning director, said.

State Statistics

Oklahoma reported 1,482 new cases Wednesday, a sizable increase over its current seven-day rolling average of 1,143 cases.

New cases in the state over the last week primarily fell between the ages of 25-54 (40.7%), with 40.9% being under the age of 35.

However, younger people still comprise a smaller percentage of the 702 cases requiring hospitalization and the 68 deaths reported last week.

A total of 12,334 cases were still active statewide and 691,282 cases have been confirmed in Oklahoma since the start of the pandemic, including 12,326 deaths.

County Statistics

The state health department reported 43 active cases for Kingfisher County on Wednesday, including 23 in Kingfisher, seven each in Okarche and Cashion and one in Hennessey.

A total of 42 deaths have been reported in the county since the start of the pandemic, including 28 in Kingfisher, 16 in Hennessey and six in Okarche.

An additional 2,792 recovered cases are reported for the county.

Vaccines Help

Although breakthrough cases are occurring among partial and fully vaccinated individuals, state health department data indicate vaccines significantly reduce the risk of serious illness and death.

For the week of Dec. 12-18, 85% of those hospitalized with COVID-19 complications were not vaccinated, 12% were partially vaccinated and 2.8% fully vaccinated.

(State health department data does not separate out those who have had an additional booster.)

Statewide, 65.2% of Oklahomans have had at least one shot and 53.1 percent are fully vaccinated.

County Vax Facts

In Kingfisher County, 52.5% of the population over the age of 5 (8,151) have received at least one shot and 42.5% (7,106) are fully vaccinated.

In the over 65 age group, 88.6% have had at least one shot and 80% are fully vaccinated. In the state health de

In the state health department’s most recent breakdown by zip code, Okarche and Dover boast the highest vaccination rates (between 60 and 70%), while Kingfisher, Cashion and Omega report 50-60% and Hennessey and Loyal report 40-50%.

Walk-in COVID-19 and flu shots are available each weekday at the Kingfisher County Health Department, as well as at most local pharmacies and other sites.

Keep Holidays Safe

Maggie Jackson of the health department suggests the following tips for safer gatherings:

• Serve snacks in individual serving cups.

• Have one person serve the food.

• Refrigerate perishable food within two hours.

• Make hand washing and sanitizing easy.

• Zoom with sick or vulnerable family members. • Remember that testing

• Remember that testing and vaccinations help keep families safe.