BENTON AND FRANKLIN COUNTIES, WA – The Washington Department of Health informed the Benton Franklin Health District that their high-tech lab results detected 4 COVID cases in Benton and Franklin counties as the Omicron strain.
“3 of the cases are in Benton County and 1 is in Franklin County.” said BFHD’s Epidemiologist Angeles Ize. “They are 40 years only ad one of the cases is an 80 year-old woman.”
Dr. Amy Person, BFHD’s Health Officer said it wasn’t a matter of if the Omicron variant came to Eastern Washington, but when.
“As long as we have high transmission and large numbers of people in the community who are susceptible to COVID-19, the more we will see the emergence of new variants.” said Dr. Person.
Meaning that the more people are exposed to COVID-19, the more it will mutate into strong and easy-to-spread variants like Delta and Omicron. The way to keep oneself safer from COVID-19 exposure is through wearing masks in public space with people outside of your household, hand sanitizing, and social distancing with those unfamiliar to you. However, if you wish to be in crowds and gather with others, the best curse of protection, is vaccination.
“Getting an mRNA vaccine provided great short-term protection against hospitalization and death from COVID-19 severe cases, but that protection does wane or decrease overtime.” said Dr. Person.
Which is why it is imperative to receive your booster shot 6 months after our full dosage of Pfizer and Moderna and about 2 months after receiving the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. However, the CDC did recently recommend the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine over Johnson and Johnson due to effectiveness and J&J being linked to a rare blood clot disorder in a few dozen cases nationwide.
Health authorities such as the CDC and Dr. Person emphasize that getting the booster shot will provide with the best protection against Omicron.
“Getting a booster dose, if you are eligible is the best way to maximize full protection and boost your immunity.” said Dr. Person.
Of the 4 cases of Omicron in Benton and Franklin counties, 2 of those cases were previously vaccinated a while ago, but had not yet received their booster dosage.
The 2 other cases were not vaccinated at all.
According to BFHD’s data, 40,050 boosters have been administered to Benton-Franklin residents. This makes up 12.97% of the county’s estimated 2021 population of 308,800 people.
30,858 of those are in Benton County residents which accounts for 14.74% of the population.
9,192 are in Franklin County residents which accounts for 9.24% of the population.
Omicron cases could spread faster and at higher rates with this upcoming holiday season of gatherings, if people do not take precautions.
“As we are coming in to the holiday season. it is critical that everyone do their part to reduce the risk of transmission in our community and to maximize our protection through vaccination.” said Dr. Person.
To schedule an appointment for a vaccine near you, head to https://vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov/
