Health officials confirm omicron in Polk County, urge residents to take precautions ahead of New Year’s

POLK COUNTY, Fla. – Polk County health officials confirm omicron has been detected in the county and are urging residents to take precautions during the holiday weekend as cases continue to increase.

Officials said in a release Wednesday the variant has been officially detected and more than 58.3% of new COVID-19 cases are between the ages of 15 and 44 years old.

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“As a community we know how to handle surges. This is our fourth one. We urge the public to take the known precautions,” officials with the Florida Department of Health in Polk County said in a release.

The omicron variant has been fueling a surge in cases across the state and in the U.S. In the latest report from the Florida Department of Health released Friday, the number of new COVID-19 cases in the state has more than quadrupled.

In Polk County, there were nearly 1,800 new cases reported between Dec. 17 and Dec. 23.

The World Health Organization said the number of cases worldwide has increased by 11% last week compared to the previous week.