Orange County Mayor Demings warns of increase in Omicron COVID-19 variant, urges vaccinations

ORLANDO, Fla. - The Omicron variant of the coronavirus has been detected in Orange County's wastewater.

Tests conducted for the National Wastewater Surveillance System program confirm that the Omicron variant is the dominant variant found in all three Orange County Water Reclamation facilities — Eastern, South and Northwest facilities. 

Omicron COVID-19 variant concerns prompted Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings to provide the first coronavirus update in a month, held on Wednesday at Orlando International Airport.  While the variant has been detected in wastewater, no patients with Omicron have been reported.

Local officials are urging people to get vaccinated. They say 76% of new infections are among unvaccinated people. 

"Yes we're likely going to see an increase due to the travel, the tourist visitations that are going to occur during the holiday period coming up, but hopefully those who are listening to what we're saying, we're saying to you if you are unvaccinated, go get vaccinated. If you haven't completed the series…you should seriously consider that," said Mayor Demings.

The mayor said he feels pretty confident going into the holiday season because we had a lot of people in town for Thanksgiving and the positivity rate here in the county remained below 5%. 

This holiday season, officials are recommending residents follow CDC health and safety guidelines when traveling or attending events. The continuous practice of safety measure, as well as testing and vaccinations are some of the best way to control the spread of the coronavirus. 

As of Tuesday, December 14, 2021, the Florida Department of Health is reporting that Orange County’s 14-day rolling positivity rate is 3.8%. Additional county statistics include:

• CDC level of community transmission: SUBSTANTIAL
• Eligible residents (5+) who have one vaccine dose: 68 percent
• Total positive cases for Orange County residents: 237,309

BARNETT PARK VACCINES AND TESTING 

Orange County Government’s Health Services Department continues to provide COVID-19 services at Barnett Park, seven days a week, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Barnett Park is located at 4801 W Colonial Drive, Orlando, FL 32808.

This month, staff will observe the following holidays in which services will be closed:

• Friday, December 24, 2021
• Saturday, December 25, 2021
• Thursday, December 30, 2021
• Friday, December 31, 2021

For more information about COVID-19 vaccinations or testing at Barnett Park, visit ocfl.net/VaccineSites.

#IGOTMYSHOT – UPCOMING VACCINATION OPPORTUNITIES

The #IGotMyShot Mobile Vaccination Trailer continues to visit convenient community locations across the County. For more information about the #IGotMyShot trailer or a list of upcoming locations visit ocfl.net/IGotMyShot.

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