CHICAGO – Omicron has arrived in Cook County, public health officials said Wednesday. They also said the unvaccinated should not celebrate Christmas this year with friends and family – despite the Omicron variant being found in a vaccinated person with no symptoms.
“As expected, Omicron has arrived in suburban Cook County and we must take every possible precaution to prevent this highly-contagious variant from spreading rapidly,” Dr. Rachel Rubin, senior medical officer of Cook County, said in a statement.
“Vaccinations, including booster shots, are vital. Masking indoors in all public spaces is mandated in the county and must continue. And we urge unvaccinated residents to not attend any holiday celebrations or social events during this time.”
The South African doctor who was the first to detect the COVID-19 omicron variant, Angelique Coetzee, described most of the symptoms as “extremely mild” when alerting people what to look out for.
Unlike traditional coronavirus patients and those with the delta variant, the patient didn’t report a sore throat, but rather a scratchy throat. He also didn’t develop a cough or loss of taste or smell.
The Omicron case in Cook county was someone who did not suffer from any symptoms and had at least two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, says the Cook County Department of Public Health. Earlier this week, the first case in Chicago was noted.
In the meantime, the delta variant is still spreading, health officials said.
