South Florida Medical Expert Says Omicron Surge Has Finally Hit Its Peak
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Experts say the surge in Omicron cases has finally hit its peak. So go ahead, breath a small sigh of relief.
"The answer is yes, we are at the peak," says University of Miami Rheumatologist Dr. Geeta Nayyar.
The Florida Department of Health has been tracking COVID cases for the last 10 weeks. Last week, the numbers hit an all-time high. Now, there's a significant drop.
"What we know about Omicron is that it was fast to the scene and fast to exit the scene and that's exactly what we're seeing whether it's here in south Florida or across the globe," says Nayyar.
The FDOH reported just over 289,000 COVID cases from the last seven days, which is a 33% decrease from the week prior.
"What we know about Omicron is that it was fast to the scene and fast to exit the scene and that's exactly what we're seeing whether it's here in south Florida or across the globe," says Nayyar.
Death and hospitalization rates have yet to plateau. But according to Dr. Nayyar, that's normal.
"It makes sense that hospitalization rates and deaths would lag behind positivity rates because folks have to get treated, get taken care of and that's exactly where we're at right now," she explains.
While it seems we'll eventually defeat Omicron, Nayyar says there's likely other obstacles ahead.
"I think there will absolutely be another variant. At this point there is a clear cycle, a clear rhythm to this virus," she says.
Nayyer says it's hard to predict how transmissible a new variant could be.
"What that means about the future is hard to tell because every variant has been different," she says.
Even though cases are trending downwards, experts are encouraging everyone, now is not the time to let your guard down.
