Omicron has developed what looked like a time when the country was finally starting to calm down from the severe impacts of COVID-19 and turned it into what it looked like almost at the start of this pandemic. Mask mandates have come back, vaccination stations are opening up at further places, and people are gearing up for tougher economic and tourist activities as countries close borders once again and ban travel from several countries, including the US.
In the latest development as a result of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced that the state will be requiring all healthcare workers to get their booster shots immediately now. He wrote on his Twitter, “BREAKING: California will require healthcare workers to get their booster. With Omicron on the rise, we’re taking immediate actions to protect Californians and ensure our hospitals are prepared. More to come in our official announcement tomorrow.”
This was followed by an official video announcement tweet with a similar message only focusing on protecting the citizens more, “CA will require healthcare workers to get their booster.
As the Omicron variant continues to spread — we’re stepping up efforts to get more people boosted and keep Californians safe,” saying that more information will follow.
Chicago has also announced that they are going to implement COVID-19 vaccine mandates for all indoor events in the region. Everyone over the age of 5 starting from January 3 onwards will have to show proof of vaccination to be a part of any indoor activity or event in a public space, “to dine indoors, visit gyms, or enjoy entertainment venues where food or drink are being served.”
Many states including some federal laws are mandating masks as well as vaccines for outdoors. Many outdoor events have either been postponed or canceled due to restrictions of team members or crew from the event testing positive for the virus. The major shock for the audience came recently when Broadway canceled several major shows hours before the show due to concerns regarding COVID-19 and to take precautionary measures against the further spread.
New Hampshire hospitals are seeing record high numbers of hospitalizations due to the virus. Dr. Laura McPhee of the Elliot Hospital in New Hampshire reported that she is seeing four times more patients than usual, saying, “We’re tired. It’s been extremely hard on everybody, most of the patients that we’re seeing are unvaccinated.”
She urged everyone that she could get across to get vaccinated, “Most days I’ve been angry and frustrated. … Because this is preventable. It doesn’t have to happen. I’ve not ever seen a patient here in the ICU who has been fully vaccinated with a booster.”
