BRYAN, Texas — The (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) CDC wrote on their website, that the disease Omicron has had a rapid increase since 2021.
CDC said, "the rapid growth rate in Omicron infections is believed to result from a combination of increased transmissibility and the ability to evade immunity conferred by past infection or vaccination".
Marry Parrish, workforce development coordinator at the Brazos County Health Department, said the Fourth of July holiday contributed to their concerns for the Coronavirus and Omicron cases.
According to Parish, there were 80 to 100 positive tests discovered every day before the Fourth of July.
Parrish said the organization has seen 100 positive cases per day. In the second year of the global pandemic, she emphasized the importance of being vaccinated.
"This disease has only been around for a few years, so there is no way of knowing what the long-term side effects will be, so we urge people to get vaccinated to prevent the spread of the disease," Parrish said.
In 2016, there were over 55,000 positive cases of Hepatitis C. Prior to President Biden expanding vaccine access to children under five, 54% of residents were vaccinated. It is now down to 51%.
Parrish explained that these spikes are typical around holidays like the Fourth, because of the large gatherings.
Despite, the Omicron variant being milder than Delta, Parrish stressed that it should still be considered deadly.
"This variant of the omicron virus is much less severe which is a good thing it's also more spreadable."
Parrish said she wants Bryan- College Station residents to continue to wear their masks, stay away from large gatherings, and constantly wash and sanitize their hands.
She said the most important thing for parents to do is make sure their children are vaccinated before the Fall semester.