Public health believes Omicron is in Jackson Co.

JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. —Jackson County Public Health says it has reason to believe Omicron is in our community now. Public health says this doesn’t come as a surprise considering how contagious Omicron is.

In the coming weeks, it expects Omicron will be the primary variant throughout Oregon. Public health says Jackson County is trending upwards in terms of cases and hospitalizations.

Dr. Jim Shames says the issues moving forward are testing capacity, vaccine capacity, and if hospitals can handle another surge in cases.

“We have some preliminary results from tests that suggest that a significant number of the tests we’re running may turn out to be Omicron positive,” said Dr. Shames.

Dr. Shames says there is some good news. It looks like Omicron will produce a milder disease than Delta, especially in those who are vaccinated.

Dr. Shames says if you feel sick, it is a good idea to get tested to be sure.

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Jenna King is the 6pm and 11pm anchor for NBC5 News. Jenna is a Burbank, CA native. She graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and a minor in Sports Business. During her time at Oregon she was part of the student-run television station, Duck TV. She also grew her passion for sports through her internship with the PAC 12 Network. When Jenna is not in the newsroom you can find her rooting for her hometown Dodgers, exploring the outdoors or binging on the latest Netflix release.
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