Durham County identifies its first six cases of omicron as COVID variant spreads

Six cases of the omicron variant of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Durham County, public health officials said Monday.

These are the first omicron variant cases to be confirmed in the county, according to the Durham County Department of Public Health.

All those infected and their identified close contacts have been contacted.

“We have been monitoring the spread of Omicron in the state and country since it was first identified, and we have been prepared for its arrival in Durham,” said Durham County Public Health Director Rod Jenkins in a news release. “Our surveillance team will continue to track the spread like we have for Delta and all other COVID-19 cases, and we’ll keep up our contact tracing efforts to help keep our community safe.”

As of Friday, Durham County had reported 37,346 COVID-19 cases, including 94 newly confirmed cases that day. The county’s most recent percentage of positive COVID-19 tests was 4.6%, just below the 5% maximum that health officials have set as a goal to help contain the virus.

Roughly 72% of the Durham County population is vaccinated with at least one dose in the county and 68% of the population is fully vaccinated, according to the state’s Department of Health and Human Services.

The Orange County Health Department reported its first case of COVID-19 caused by the omicron variant on Friday. The announcement marked the first time the variant has been reported in the Triangle.

Study predicts omicron risk

A group of scientists working on the COVID-19 Simulation Integrated Model (COVSIM), which includes experts from UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State University, published a study last week indicating that the omicron variant of the virus poses severe risk to the state in the first months of 2022.

The COVSIM study estimates that hospitalizations in North Carolina could exceed levels reached at the pandemic’s peak in January 2021, McClatchy News reported.

Without an increase of booster shots, hospitalizations could increase three- or six-fold, the group said. Widespread vaccinations with booster shots and continued mask use could lessen the variant’s impact, the group said.

This story was originally published December 20, 2021 at 10:09 AM.

Aaron Sánchez-Guerra

The News & Observer

(919) 297-8162

Aaron Sánchez-Guerra is a breaking news reporter for The News & Observer and previously covered business and real estate for the paper. His background includes reporting for WLRN Public Media in Miami and as a freelance journalist in Raleigh and Charlotte covering Latino communities. He is a graduate of North Carolina State University, a native Spanish speaker and was born in Mexico. You can follow his work on Twitter at @aaronsguerra.