The omicron variant of the coronavirus, which recently was identified in a California virus patient, has not been detected in Ohio yet but is surely coming, Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff warned in a briefing with reporters Thursday.
“We know omicron is on the horizon and we ought to do what we can to get ready,” he said. “That means getting vaccinated.”
Omicron was designated a variant of concern by the World Health Organization on Nov. 26, prompting alarm and travel bans as the world braced for another mutation of the coronavirus.
The current surge in infections in Ohio — more than 9,000 new cases Thursday, up from 6,745 just three days earlier — are caused by the delta variant, Dr. Vanderhoff said.
It will take some time before Ohio officials will be able to pinpoint omicron infections because not all coronavirus test samples undergo genetic sequencing to determine which variant is present, Dr. Vanderhoff said.
A fraction of PCR test samples are collected from around the state each day for sequencing, after which the Ohio Department of Health checks the sequenced DNA against a database of known, named variants.
Many samples do not match any named variant or variant of concern and are then labeled “other.” Right now, the dominant strains in Ohio are the delta variant and some variations of it, Dr. Vanderhoff said.
It is important to remember that coronavirus tests patients receive at the doctor’s office or pharmacy, or take-home tests, cannot identify which coronavirus strain a person has, Dr. Vanderhoff said. The tests are meant only to tell whether this is coronavirus present or not so that people can seek medical help and isolate themselves from others to prevent further spread.
Also on Thursday, the Department of Health announced 30 more winners of Ohio Vax-2-School college scholarships of $10,000.
Among them this time was just one northwest Ohioan — Matthew Roth of Findlay.
To date, the state has announced 120 $10,000 winners among those age 5 and 25 who registered after getting at least the first shot of a coronavirus vaccine. The final 30 will be announced Friday afternoon.
In all, the state is awarding $2 million in scholarships — five grand prizes of $100,000 and 150 $10,000 prizes. The grand prizes will be announced Friday during the regular Ohio Lottery broadcast at 7:29 p.m.
The scholarships go into the Ohio 529 College Advantage plan to be used at the winners' college, university, technical, trade, or career school of choice.
First Published December 2, 2021, 11:55 p.m.
