Dr. Rodney Rohde believes those who’ve been fully vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19 will be mostly protected from the Omicron COVID-19 variant. But Rohde, a professor and chair of the Clinical Laboratory Science Program at Texas State University, said data regarding Omicron is ongoing and rapidly changing.
“Will there be breakthrough infections from Delta, Omicron or other variants? Yes, no vaccine is 100% effective as I and others continue to state,” Rohde said. “However, fully vaccinated and now hopefully boosted individuals will be less likely to have severe COVID-19, be hospitalized or die. It is critical for the public to continue to follow all public health mitigation measures — get vaccinated. If vaccinated, get the booster. Whether vaccinated or not, wear a high-quality mask [KN95 or surgical mask] when in high-risk environments.
“Try to maintain distance and good ventilation in high-risk environments, wash your hands, avoid unnecessary travel to high levels of community prevalence of the disease, and be safe to protect those around you that may be immunocompromised,” Rohde added.
