The Health Department of Northwest Michigan announced Monday that the MDHHS has notified them that the Omicron variant has been identified in one Antrim County resident and one Charlevoix County resident.
They say both individuals were tested on Dec. 28.
According to the Health Dept. of Northwest Michigan, determining which variant is present in a person’s test sample requires genetic sequencing, which is only conducted on a percentage of positive tests and can often take a few weeks.
Health department officials say they anticipate that there are many more cases of Omicron in their jurisdiction.
“Vaccination is the best defense against COVID-19 and its variants so shortening the length of time between completion of the primary series and the booster dose for both Pfizer and Moderna is very helpful in our quest to say safe and healthy,” said Dr. Josh Meyerson, Medical Director for the Health Department of Northwest Michigan. “I encourage everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated and also get their booster shot, which is very important to receive due to the omicron variant,” Dr. Meyerson added.
This comes after the FDA shortened the time between completion of a primary series of Moderna vaccines for Michiganders ages 18 and older, and the Pfizer vaccine for anyone ages 12 and older can receive their booster shot to five months.
For a list of vaccine providers and locations in Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet and Otsego Counties,
To schedule a coronavirus vaccination appointment with the Health Department of Northwest Michigan for kids ages five to 11-years-old,
To schedule a coronavirus vaccination appointment for those ages 12 and older,
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