Omicron Reminds New Yorkers that COVID-19’s Not Over

Jennifer Quichimbo, a medical assistant student at Royal Learning Institute, takes precautions against COVID-19 when going out for the safety of her family. She still wears masks, especially when she rides the MTA. But the new COVID-19 variant has amplified her fears, making her feel like the pandemic is never going to end. “We should take the Omicron variant seriously and protect ourselves more than usual since we thought we were going back to normal,” Quichimbo said. “I am scared of this because it could also cause more serious cases than the other variant. It’s far from being over. I look after myself and my loved ones by protecting them: staying hydrated and following the doctor’s instructions just in case.”

New U.S cases of Omicron have been uncovered in nearly every state. Though less deadly than previous versions of COVID-19, the fast-moving variant is now the dominant strain of the virus. In order to contain cases during the holidays, in mid-December New York’s governor Kathy Hochul announced a statewide mask mandate for all indoor spaces unless the businesses already have a vaccine requirement. “As governor, my top priority is to protect the health of New Yorkers and the health of our economy, and these temporary measures will help us get through the holiday season safely,” Governor Hochul said in a statement. “I share everyone’s frustration that we have gotten to this point, especially with the vaccine at our disposal. I want to thank the millions of New Yorkers who have done the right thing to get fully vaccinated. We are all in this together and if others will follow suit, these measures will no longer be necessary.”

The pandemic has affected some people more than others, but it has brought change to the way everyone lives. Christian Rodriguez, City College theatre student, is fully vaccinated and recently took a PCR test. At this point he finds the variant annoying but has still doubled up on protection efforts. “I think it is inconvenient that we now have another way of spreading the virus,” Rodriguez said. “I protect myself every time before and after I go out by bringing those portable hand sanitizers and taking some from any public place like a bank. We as a household do the same and thus we are always unscathed.”

Alex Quito, 17, a high school senior, is currently doing more social distancing in school especially in gym class due to the Omicron variant. “You should get vaccinated because it will protect you more. It will affect the person a little bit, but not as strongly [as it would] if you weren’t vaccinated. I feel that we could get over this virus if we would all listen to what we have to do,” Quito said. “The pandemic made me realize so many things like anything can change in a blink of an eye. We are precautious when we go out. Just because we have a vaccine, it doesn’t mean this is over.”

Quichimbo believes that being vaccinated is essential in order to fight both the new variant along with the Delta variant. “I think getting vaccinated is important because it’s safe and effective,” Quichimbo said. “It’s for our own safety and to protect ourselves, our family, and everyone in our community.”