Boulder Valley School District's Layered Approach To Coronavirus Still Best Defense To New Omicron Variant

Boulder CO

06 December, 2021

6:19 AM

Description

Press release from the Boulder Valley School District: December 3, 2021 With the recent discovery of the COVID-19 omicron variant in Boulder, we understand many parents and staff may be feeling increased concern regarding the health and safety of their children and themselves. We want to reassure our community that the health precautions we have in place in the Boulder Valley School District are the same recommendations that the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and our local public health agencies have provided, and they are working well. For more information on the Omicron variant and how to protect yourself and your family see: CDC Health Advisory: New SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern Identified: Omicron (B.1.1.529) Variant Mitigation Layered prevention strategies should be used to reduce the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, including variants such as Delta and Omicron. These strategies include: Get vaccinated Wear a mask Practice social distancing Wash your hands Stay at home if you are sick COVID-19 Testing CDC recommends that everyone ages 2 years or older wear masks in public indoor places in areas of substantial or high transmission. Persons who have a close contact with someone who has COVID-19, should get tested 5-7 days after exposure (even if they are asymptomatic) and wear a mask indoors in public for 14 days following exposure. Persons who develop symptoms of COVID-19 should get tested and stay home until their test result is negative; persons who have a positive test result should isolate at home for 10 days. Vaccination Vaccination remains vital to COVID-19 pandemic control. The COVID-19 vaccines approved or authorized in the United States are highly effective at preventing severe disease and death from the Delta variant, which is currently the dominant variant circulating in the U.S. CDC recommends that everyone ages 5 and older should be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible. In addition, CDC recommends all persons age 18 years and older receive a booster dose at the recommended interval. This press release was produced by the Boulder Valley School District. The views expressed here are the author's own.