LCO Health Center
Press Release
The Lac Courte Oreilles Community Health Center (LCO Health Center) reported today that there are 50 positive cases of COVID-19 in less than one week, dating from July 17 to July 22, 2022. The coronavirus in these cases is the subvariant Omicron BA.5, which is highly contagious to all people regardless of vaccine status or previous infections.
The Omicron subvariant first surfaced last Thanksgiving and since then, multiple Omicron subvariants have emerged. Omicron BA.5 emerged early this month, becoming one of the most dominant strains of the coronavirus, and it is the most contagious strain so far.
“The only way to assure that we do not get this subvariant is to practice social distancing, hand washing, and masking,” said Dr. Steven Miszkiewicz, LCO Health Center Medical Director. “I highly recommend that for the next few weeks, community members should avoid large and crowded areas indoors or outdoors, and to wear a mask any time they are near others.”
The predominant symptoms of Omicron BA.5 are sore throat, cough, fever, headaches, body aches, runny nose, head/nasal congestion, and fatigue. The LCO Health Center advises that anyone who has any of these symptoms to get a test, as well as following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation to get COVID-19 booster shots if eligible as soon as possible.