The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a lot of frustration and concern in the public eye in the last year with the spread of the virus. Now, with people slowly returning to normal activity, public health officials are tracking “variants of concern” that are detected and could be more resistant to current vaccines, such as the delta variant.

Recently though, the COVID-19 omicron variant is now a trending topic with the first case of infection from the omicron variant detected in California. Accredited news outlets report that California is the first state to detect the omicron variant in a patient as the CDC and World Health Organization (WHO) continue to monitor the variant globally.

The team at AFC Urgent Care Elizabeth is here to update our patients about current information surrounding the variant’s impact on public safety, travel, testing, and vaccinations. Variants may pose new challenges but there are thankfully a few ways you can stay safe.

What exactly is a COVID-19 variant and will a vaccination protect me?

A COVID-19 variant or variant of concern is a newly mutated version of the virus that is more infectious and resistant than a previous strain of the COVID virus. For example, the omicron variant is a mutated version of the latest variant of concern, the delta variant. Variants are more likely to spread and infect people with vaccinations over other variants.

However, it is important to understand that COVID-19 vaccinations are still the best way to protect against any form of the virus. For example, a patient that doesn’t have the vaccine is more likely to get infected and have serious symptoms, including hospitalization, than a patient that is fully vaccinated.

Where did the omicron COVID-19 variant originate? Is it impacting travel?

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the CDC detected and reported the first worldwide case of the omicron variant in South Africa. The U.S has recently banned travel to South Africa and neighboring countries due to the variant with indefinite bans as CDC and WHO continue to monitor the situation.

Right now, travel to other international destinations are not currently banned or restricted even with the detection of the variant. Patients should check their destination’s travel and tourism department to see if any recent bans have been implemented.

Does COVID-19 testing help detect the omicron variant?

If patients start to have symptoms, or are concerned about recent contact with a COVID-19 patient, they can get accurate and fast same-day COVID-19 testing at AFC Urgent Care Elizabeth.

Regardless of variant, Rapid COVID tests are able to detect the virus in patients. Modern testing is what allowed infectious disease agencies to confirm the spread of the variant. The same types of high-quality testing are available at AFC Urgent Care Elizabeth.

If you need to get a Rapid COVID-19 test, then make sure you get a same-day COVID test at our urgent care center and walk-in clinic! Book online or visit us in person.