Penn State detects omicron variant at University Park for first time. Here’s what we know
Penn State has detected the omicron variant at University Park as part of ongoing COVID-19 surveillance and monitoring efforts, the first time the variant’s presence within Centre County has been publicly confirmed, the university announced Monday night.
The detection of the omicron variant, which is 2-3 times more likely to spread as the delta variant, has been seen as an inevitability for weeks now. The first case in Pennsylvania was detected Dec. 3 in a Philadelphia man and, according to data Monday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the omicron variant now makes up 73.2% of new cases.
In a news release, Penn State officials encouraged the campus community to get COVID-19 vaccinations or booster shots as soon as possible, as they can protect against severe illness. The officials also encouraged taking safety precautions such as wearing masks indoors when in public and seeking out testing if experiencing symptoms.
At this point, University Park still plans to hold in-person classes at the start of the spring semester. But, as it previously announced Friday, it continues to monitor pandemic conditions — and it could change those plans, if necessary.
Officials intend to update the University Park community by Dec. 30 if the spring semester will start remotely. Classes are set to begin Jan. 10.
From Dec. 11-17 in Centre County, home to Penn State’s flagship university, there were 569 reported cases of COVID-19 — a slight drop from last week but still significantly higher than the recent past, as there were 427 such weekly cases a month ago and 329 weekly cases two months ago.
Mount Nittany Medical Center, the county’s lone hospital, also saw more hospitalized patients last week than it has at any other time during the pandemic. According to the hospital’s dashboard, there were 55 hospitalized COVID patients on Monday between the ages of 20 and 95, with 78% unvaccinated.
“The current strain our hospital is experiencing is due to the high number of COVID inpatients, many of whom are very sick,” said Denelle Korin, a registered nurse at Mount Nittany and SEIU chapter president. “The intensity of care needed to treat them is very high. It simply takes more people and resources to get them well again.
“We will continue to work together in the fight against COVID-19 in our community, but we need relief — and we ask everyone to do their part by getting vaccinated, masking, and social distancing.”
Much is still unknown about the variant, such as whether it causes less-severe illness or just how effective the vaccines are against preventing infection. But it’s clear the virus is much more contagious: Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, told NPR the U.S. could see 1 million new COVID-19 infections per day if people let their guard down.
For more information on COVID-19 at University Park, Penn State is directing those interested to virusinfo.psu.edu.
