PEORIA, Ill. — With a record number of new COVID cases reported in the U.S. on Monday, hospitalizations and outcomes are very high, with a majority of cases attributed to the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
But, Dr. Doug Kasper, with the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria, tells WMBD’s “The Greg and Dan Show”, the wave of the Omicron variant will eventually break.
“It’s broken in South Africa, it’s broken in parts of the U.K. So, there is a positive spin that is coming,” Kasper said.
Kasper adds, “The problem at the moment is that the daily case rate is just so high, that we are seeing more outcomes than we need to see.”
Kasper, a regular guest on “The Greg and Dan Show”, tested positive for COVID-19 last week. He says once you get it, you become hyper-aware of your situation and symptoms.
“Even though you have your own health, vaccines, boosters and all these things, individual small things seem to be much more concerning. And, you worry about your fever, your heart rate and all these different things,” Kasper said.
There a bright spot in all of this, Kasper said, the Omicron variant overall is showing reduced symptoms.
“If we had the outcome numbers that we had seen with the Delta wave, with the number of infections with the Omicron wave, it would be a beyond catastrophic situation,” Kasper said.
Kasper said there are still too many deaths occurring when a vaccine is readily available.
He adds, “The best way to keep yourself out of the hospital, even if you do get COVID, is to get vaccinated and get a booster.”
