UW Health Infectious Disease Specialist Says Vaccines and Booster Best Protection Against Omicron

Tuesday, February 8th, 2022 -- 12:01 PM

(Bob Hague, WRN) The new COVID-19 omicron subvariant has been detected in Wisconsin, and appears to spread more readily than omicron.

UW Health infectious disease specialist, Doctor Nasia Safdar says getting vaccinated and boosted remain your best protection. “But the severity of disease seems to be similar to what we’ve noticed with omicron, and because it’s still closely related to Omicron, I think the vaccination and booster benefits will still hold for this one. It’s pretty clear that the vaccination means . . . the difference between feeling ill for a few days at home and recovering, versus being ill for several weeks the ICU with something that you may not recover from.”

Safdar says vaccination and good public health practices will be critical to shortening this omicron-fueled phase of the pandemic.

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