ICYMI from my earlier Tweet - I have #Covid_19 - so do my two youngest children & husband. We didn't realize our middle kid was symptomatic when we went to Xmas at my in-laws. 12 of the 16 folks at our family get-together have now tested positive and/or are having symptoms.
I share this as a warning to others. Like @modestholdings we were extremely careful. We took all the precautions. We are all fully vaxed and boosted. We wear KN95s. We rarely do in-person events. Our family's only major exposure risk is via our kids at school.
But #Omicron is next-level contagious. By the time you spike a fever, you have already been contagious for 2-3 days. The R-naught for this variant is 10-12. (Each infected person will infect 10-12 others on average).
Avoiding it entirely at this point is nearly impossible without extreme personal lockdown measures. So plan ahead now for extended days of illness, isolation and quarantine for yourself and your family.
Thankfully our symptoms have been mild but they do last a solid 4-6 days before resolving. Reminder that @IAPublicHealth guidelines still state students who test positive must stay home from school for 10 days even if asymptomatic. idph.iowa.gov/Portals/1/user…
The 5 days of isolation + 5 days of masking recommendation from the @CDCgov does not apply to kids in K-12 schools.
Iowa schools, workplaces and businesses are going to be slammed with #Omicron over the next two weeks, I'm afraid. For high school students this comes at a really terrible time - right as they are finishing the first semester. Take care of yourselves. The road ahead will be bumpy
And FYI - with #omicron, the main presenting symptom is sore throat (without loss of taste/smell) so please don't assume that you have "just a bug" - this strain looks & acts differently. If you feel ill or have been exposed, get tested ASAP so you can help stop the spread.
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