by: Kim Posey
Posted: / Updated:
DENVER (KDVR) — The omicron variant seems to have reached its peak in the state, according to Dr. Jon Samet, the dean of the Colorado School of Public Health.
Samet’s team will publish a new model this week, but he thinks barring a new and nasty variant, spring is looking better for the state.
At a news conference on Tuesday, Governor Jared Polis said, “COVID numbers and hospitalizations continue to decrease modestly.” Polis said at that time there were 1,547 people hospitalized with COVID.
“We are at a turning point,” Dr. Samet said. “This is good news. How quickly things are going to get better, I think is up in the air, but we are definitely moving in the right direction and likely to continue to do so.”
Samet said Colorado is at a high point with immunity since so many people were sick with omicron and so many people are vaccinated.
“I think moving into the spring things look good. The wild card here is, could there be another variant?” he said.
Now is the time, he believes, to focus on things like improving access to testing, masks, and vaccines.
“We are high up on that epidemic curve, and starting down, but still high, and I think people need to remember that,” he said.
A new subvariant labeled BA.2 has been reported in Washington state. Samet said there is very little information about it right now and no way to know yet if there will be an impact.
