LITTLE ROCK, Ark — The first case of the omicron variant was found in Arkansas last week.
Now, health officials want to make sure Arkansans know what to look for when it comes to the new variant and why new information should be taken seriously.
The top five symptoms you can experience with the omicron variant:
- runny nose
- headache
- fatigue
- sneezing
- sore throat
"This is not something that we would want to underestimate. Given the escalations in hospitalizations in other states such as New York where they're having a large number of cases that are due to Omicron, I'm hesitant to say that this is no big deal," said Dr. Jennifer Dilliha with the health department.
Local pharmacies are seeing a steady and slight increase in vaccinations for COVID for the holidays.
Arkansas health officials say they don't want Arkansans to take the variant lightly. While a large majority of those who contract the omicron variant will have mild symptoms, it can still lead to hospitalizations for others.
"While omicron is a great concern to us, delta is still the most common variant in the state of Arkansas, and so people that are not vaccinated at all are at the greatest risk," said Dr. Gerry Jones, the CEO of CHI St. Vincent.
Health officials want to remind people that even mild symptoms of any variant can have long term effects, such as breathing problems, fatigue and brain fog.
"We're not through with COVID and COVID's not through with us. We do have the tools to protect ourselves and our loved ones and to decrease the spread of this virus," said Dr. Keyur Vyas, a professor of medicine at UAMS.
With a new variant, it's back to the drawing board with how to stay safe and healthy.
"Wearing masks when we're around groups of people that may include groups of people that are not vaccinated," said Dr. Vyas.