TAMPA, Fla. — 2021 had some ups and downs — quite literally if you look at the COVID charts.
In Florida, we started the year with another wave of COVID-19 infections coming off the holidays. A few months later, things looked better as vaccines started rolling and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gave the green light for the fully vaccinated population to remove their masks.
By July and August of 2021, the delta variant brought even more cases, hospitalizations and deaths than the previous year and the CDC backtracked on mask guidance.
Again things seemed to get better as vaccine numbers climbed. Then in November, researchers in South Africa started warning the world of the omicron variant.
Sure enough, here we are.
We've had a tsunami of cases in Florida and continue to break records daily while people are waiting in long lines to get tested for COVID-19.
Some experts warn hospitalizations will surely rise in the coming weeks.
If you have plans for New Year's Eve or New Year's Day, you might want to consider some factors outlined by two infectious disease experts from the University of South Florida.
VACCINE STATUS
If you're fully vaccinated and boosted, omicron is likely not a severe threat to you.
"Chances are you’ll get a mild infection or asymptomatic infection if you get infected with this thing. You’re not going to be able to transmit the virus for very long- two days, three days at the most once you’ve gotten it," said Dr. Thomas Unnasch, a distinguished USF health professor.
PRIOR INFECTION
If you recently had COVID-19, for example, during the end of the delta wave or in the last few months, you likely have a pretty high antibody response.
"If you actually got COVID, you’re going to get an antibody boost, actually we’re seeing super immunity from people who actually got infected (after vaccination), Dr. Jill Roberts explained.
Roberts says a COVID infection in 2020 offers zero protection now.
EVENT PRECAUTIONS
This part is nothing new. If the event you want to attend is outdoors with a lot of room to spread out, you're much safer than a crowded indoor environment.
"Outdoor venues are much lower risk than a close, packed club environment," Roberts said.
She recommends even wearing a mask outside if the event is packed with people.
TESTING
While it's too late to get a PCR test or one that gets confirmed in a laboratory for new year celebrations, a rapid or at-home test can be helpful.
"Rapid tests aren’t 100 percent but they’re better than nothing," Roberts explained.
You might want to have your guests take at-home tests if you have them available.
Unnasch said it's a good idea to take any symptoms seriously. If you've been boosted and you come down with a cold, stay home and take care of yourself.
You'll likely be on the mend soon and won't risk spreading illness to someone else.
BACK TO THE BASICS
While we navigate this omicron wave, you might want to tighten your bubble, wear a medical mask more often and get your vaccine or booster shot as soon as possible.
"Everybody is going to get exposed," Unnasch said.
How well you fare has much to do with your individual circumstances and the layers of protection you put in place for yourself.