ST PAUL, Minn. — Governor Tim Walz and his family are isolating after tests confirmed all three have contracted COVID-19.
Doctors say breakthrough cases, like Walz's, are inevitable. In part, because the vaccines are proving less effective against the omicron variant.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the omicron variant now accounts for more than 73% of COVID infections across the country. According to HealthPartners Epidemiologist Dr. Greg Siwek, it could be even higher in the Midwest.
"I think we all need to be vigilant no matter what our vaccine status is," said Dr. Siwek, who treats some of the sickest patients with COVID. "We’re just dealing with staff fatigue and 18 months of this virus coming at us."
He says the best protection against the highly transmissible variant is a booster shot.
The CDC is reporting only 30% of people eligible for one has gotten it.
"To me, there's a big difference in terms of being fully vaccinated and then getting the booster," explained Dr. Siwek. "We know that their protection against the delta variant or even the omicron variant is much stronger than someone who may have received their vaccine months ago."
If you're vaccinated, test positive and feel sick, the CDC recommends quarantining for 10 days.
If you're vaccinated, test positive and don't have symptoms, the same isolation rules apply.
You don't have to quarantine if you're fully-vaccinated and exposed to someone who has COVID, but you don't develop symptoms.
But if you're not vaccinated and come into contact with someone who had COVID, the CDC suggests quarantining for 14 days.
"I'd say any time that you are in a close exposure with someone whose had COVID, it's a good idea to get a test five to seven days later," said Dr. Siwek. "Consider doing everything you can to protect yourself and let's all get through this."
Early data shows, while omicron spreads easier, it may also lead to less severe disease. That's one reason Dr. Siwek thinks hospitalizations could be decreasing across the HealthPartners system. In the last week, the number of patients with COVID dropped from 90 to now in the mid-60s.
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