NORFOLK, Va. — As COVID-19 cases rise in Virginia and Omicron is now the country's dominant variant, some families are wondering if they should rethink their holiday plans.
Families are boarding planes and loading cars to be with family for the holiday. But with the Omicron variant spreading fast and now accounting for 73% of all cases in the U.S., some Hampton Roads doctors say it might be time to rethink gathering with loved ones.
"It has messed everything up for us. It is so contagious," said Newport News pediatrician Dr. Elizabeth Broderick.
She said Omicron has her very worried.
"What I want is for all of us to see our families and be together and stop having this fear and Omicron kind of showed up and said, 'Nope.'"
Broderick said if you’re planning to be with friends or family, you’ve got to be extra cautious.
The U.S. is now averaging nearly 150,000 new COVID-19 cases every day. That's up about 72 percent in the last month.
She said in her opinion, what you do depends on your family's vaccination status, ages, and any health problems.
Broderick said she's been having those conversations with some of her patients this past week.
"All of us need to have those discussions with each other and with your primary care doctors."
She said everyone who can get the vaccine should do it beforehand and everyone should take a rapid test the day you plan to gather.
If anyone in your group has any cold symptoms, she said they should consider Zooming in even if their rapid test is negative, because there is a chance it could be a false negative.
"All of us are having this discussion. It’s important for our mental health to see our families, but it’s also important for our mental health for our vulnerable people not to get sick."
The CDC is now reporting the number of new COVID-19 infections could exceed previous peaks in the coming weeks, so health officials say now more than ever, it’s important to get vaccinated and get that booster shot.
Getting a test before you gather isn't necessarily easy. PCR tests take a couple of days and rapid tests are hard to find in stores.
Some urgent care clinics do offer them.
MD Express Urgent Care locations in Newport News. Hampton, Williamsburg and Yorktown say they have both kinds of tests available for anyone who wants to be tested.
Patient First is only testing people with symptoms.
Velocity Urgent Care has both tests as well, but you should make an appointment online and appointments are limited.