Local doctors urge caution while gathering for the holidays after omicron variant discovered in Kentuckiana

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville and southern Indiana health experts are encouraging people to take steps to protect themselves and others this holiday season just days after the omicron variant was found on both sides of the river.

"We all need to get together with friends and family (and) celebrate each other. We all need that after a long year, emotional support," he said. "Just make sure you're doing the right things to protect yourself and your loved ones while you're doing it."

Yazel said it was more than one week ago, on Dec. 9, when a person in Indiana tested positive for COVID-19. He said recently, that case was confirmed to be the omicron variant.

"We're seeing some lag time in that," he said. "So we could still reasonably assume, honestly, it's probably really taken hold in the last 11 days."

Health leaders said one of the main concerns with this variant is its high transmission rate, especially this time of year with many people planning to gather for the holidays.

"The spread of the omicron variant will definitely be spurred by holiday travel," said Dr. Jason Smith with UofL Health. "So we are making preparations within the health care system to be able to stand up more beds, more COVID units again."

AAA released information expecting holiday travel to be up by nearly 34% from 2020, with an estimated 109 million Americans hitting the road or flying between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2.

"This is a time of year where people get together, and this is why we're planning on seeing a spike after this holiday season," Smith said. "I don't think there's any way to avoid it, and we've been at this now for two years."

Smith said he expects the omicron variant to be the dominant variant across the world within a few months.

Smith and Yazel suggest the following precautions for people planning to gather or go to parties for the holidays:

If you feel sick, stay home
Take a rapid COVID test before visiting with others
Get vaccinated if you're willing
Mask up, especially with large groups indoors

"This has become a problem with mitigation is that all of the strategies that we've applied — and limiting travel and doing all the things about social distancing — they work as long as people adhere to them," Smith said. "But it's very difficult to ask people to adhere to this for two years. It's not a reasonable expectation. As a physician, when you give someone medication or advice, you have to understand there are reasonable expectations of what the patient will be able to do long-term. That is why I don't think that we are going to be able to mitigate this wave of infections. And I think we, as a health care system, need to be prepared for that."

Yazel said anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 should quarantine for 10 days. He said people who tested positive after Dec. 15 need to remain in quarantine Christmas Day.

"I feel like the Grinch saying that, but we do see late transmission like that," he said. "That's the thing. I know it's a frustrating precaution, but it's not an unnecessary precaution."