With COVID cases spiking in Georgia, here’s what to do if you think you’ve been exposed

More Georgians are testing positive for COVID-19 than at any other time during the pandemic, with 17,641 cases reported Jan. 5 as the omicron variant spreads through the country.

Dr. Anthony Fauci told the Associated Press Monday that there is “accumulating evidence” that omicron isn’t as dangerous as previous variants, but he warned public health officials are still gathering data and that a “fair number” of unvaccinated Americans will get “severe disease.”

The spike in cases means Macon hospitals are dealing with an overwhelming number of patients and EMS services are, once again, being asked to divert emergency patients to other hospitals.

Here’s the latest guidance from public health officials on what to do if you think you might have COVID, or know you’ve been exposed:

Symptoms

Preliminary data shows there may be some differences between the omicron variant, the original strain and the delta variant that caused a surge in the summer of 2021. Because omicron has only recently become the dominant strain, it is still too early to identify omicron-specific symptoms.

Those with omicron can develop a scratchy or sore throat with nasal congestion, a dry cough and muscle pain. This includes lower back pain. These are all similar or the same as those experienced with the first two strains of the virus. Those with omicron have experienced a loss of taste and smell at a lower rate than with the original coronavirus strain in preliminary tests around the globe.

Getting a COVID test

If you’re experiencing omicron symptoms or have been exposed to COVID, getting tested is a vital first step for your own health care, the health of those around you and so public health officials can get a clear picture of the virus, according to North Central Health District spokesperson Michael Hokanson.

The most recent guidance from the state health department is that Georgians shouldn’t go to hospitals to get COVID tests; only those with severe COVID-19 symptoms should go to the hospital.

Folks who are asymptomatic or are experiencing mild symptoms are encouraged to go to an alternate testing locations, such as county health departments and local pharmacies. Registering online for one of the state health department’s testing locations should help with wait times.

At-home tests are popular — and local pharmacies sell out almost as quickly as they restock the tests. But Hokanson said an at-home test can be a first step in the testing process, not a substitute for a PCR, or polymerase chain reaction, test. PCR tests have to be processed in labs and examine the virus’s genetic material, according to the AP.

“If a person uses an at-home test they are not considered a confirmed case. It is a first step. But we want them to follow it up with the antigen testing or, more specifically, the PCR testing,” Hokanson said. “Only the PCR testing qualifies a person for a confirmed case of COVID-19.”

Availability of tests

Getting a PCR test, however, isn’t necessarily straightforward. The omicron spike in cases has led to a rapid increase in testing demand that the health care system was no longer prepared to meet after mass testing sites were shuttered and even some at-home test stockpiles destroyed.

Melissa Avalos, a Macon resident told GPB’s Grant Blakenship at a testing location on Bowman Road, that she waited in line for two hours to get a test after a co-worker recently tested positive for the virus. She said she was annoyed but there was nothing she could do about it because she needed a negative test to be able to go back to work and avoid a 10-day quarantine.

Sharon Nickels and her car full of grandchildren waited in line for more than an hour and half to get a test for her grandson.

Nickels told Blankenship she was surprised by the length of her wait but that it was the only place in the area that she was able to get an appointment.

Hokanson said the long lines are not something public health officials are seeing across Middle Georgia, specifically at the five county health departments in the NCHD.

“Our test sites are not seeing a large increase in demand, I can’t speak for the hospitals, but relatively speaking our area is not seeing that jump in testing that other areas are,” Hokanson said.”If people do not go out and get tested then public health does not get the full picture of what is going on in our community.”

Quarantining

One of the other major changes over the last few weeks has come in the form of a new quarantine process for those who have tested positive as well as those who may have come in contact with someone with COVID-19.

The CDC’s guidelines now state those with COVID-19 should isolate themselves for five days then if they are asymptomatic or 24 hours removed from a fever then follow it up with five days of wearing a mask when around other people. Fauci noted Monday that the CDC is considering revising the guidelines again, following public criticism of the shortened quarantine time frame.

For those who have been exposed but are fully vaccinated, there is no isolation required but they are asked to adhere to 10 days of strict mask wearing

Those who are unvaccinated but have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 should quarantine for five days before five days of strict mask-wearing.

If a resident is unable to quarantine for five days then 10 days of strict mask-wearing when around others is recommended.

Anyone, regardless of vaccination status, should be tested 5-7 days after the initial exposure.

Getting vaccinated or boosted

If someone is unvaccinated, public health officials recommend they get the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine after consulting a doctor or pharmacist.

• If you received the Pfizer vaccine, get at least five months after you second shot. Folks 18 and older should get a booster, according to the CDC, and teens 16-17 can get one.
• Adults who were fully vaccinated using the Moderna vaccine should get a booster shot six months after completing their vaccination series.
• People who got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine can get a booster after two months.

For information on where to get vaccinated or receive a booster shot visit the vaccine.gov website.

This story was originally published January 6, 2022 at 12:10 PM.