'Fastest rate of rise we've seen': Omicron now dominant in Arizona

Published: Wednesday, January 5, 2022 - 3:55pm
Updated: Wednesday, January 5, 2022 - 5:05pm
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Less than a month after it first appeared in Arizona, the omicron variant of COVID-19 is now driving nearly all new cases in the state. Researchers at ASU’s Biodesign Institute say as many as 90% of recent infections in the state appear to have been caused by omicron. Like in other parts of the world, the omicron outbreak is causing a steep surge in cases in Arizona. Arizona is now averaging more than 7,000 new cases per day — more than double what the state was reporting just a week ago.

“If you look over the entire course of this pandemic, we have nothing that matches that rate of rise. This is the fastest rate of rise we’ve seen," Dr. Josh LaBaer, executive director of the Biodesign Institute, told reporters Wednesday. 

LaBaer said the unprecedented spike in cases is due to the fact that the omicron variant is extremely contagious.

“I would make the assumption that if someone was on the elevator before you and left and they had COVID-19, it’s still floating around in the air in there and you’re going to go in and possibly get it," LaBaer said. 

Medical experts overwhelmingly agree that vaccination is the most effective way to protect yourself against hospitalization or death from COVID-19. LaBaer said booster doses for those who have already been vaccinated are critical to preventing breakthrough infections as omicron spreads. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports just 31% of eligible Arizonans have had a booster dose. LaBaer said that leaves most of Arizona’s population vulnerable to the fast-spreading variant.

Though omicron appears to cause milder infections and fewer hospitalizations, LaBaer said the sheer volume of new cases could still easily overwhelm Arizona's health care system. 

"The hospital system in Arizona was already heavily stressed by the delta variant," LaBaer said. "If a lot of new cases crop up due to omicron, and if even a fraction of those end up in the hospital, I'm concerned about what's going to happen in the hospitals right now."  

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