KSAT Q&A: San Antonio epidemiologist says omicron variant real but public shouldn’t panic

SAN ANTONIO – Cherise Rohr-Allegrini, an epidemiologist in San Antonio, joined Steve Spriester and Stephania Jimenez on the KSAT 6 O’Clock News on Monday to discuss the new COVID-19 variant, omicron.

Here are some takeaways from the KSAT Q&A session:

• Rohr-Allegrini said we should be concerned about the omicron and all COVID-19 variants. That doesn’t mean we should panic, but we need to be prepared and take precautions.
• Initial reports indicate people who were infected with the omicron variant experienced milder symptoms than the delta variant, although that could change as more cases are reported and investigated.
• Most of the cases are being reported in South Africa, not necessarily because it originated there, but because it has a low vaccinate rate, and that’s where variants are more likely to occur.
• Expects the first reports in the U.S. any day now.
• Herd immunity is still possible with COVID-19.
• The omicron variant is real and not made up by the media.

You can watch the interview in the video player above.

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