Ingham County’s top health official thinks the worst of the omicron surge is behind us.
Ingham County Health Officer Linda Vail says the peak of the omicron surge produced a seven-day rolling average of 700 cases last month in the county. That number is now down to 200, essentially the same as when omicron first appeared on the scene.
"You can pretty much say that the omicron surge has just about ended in Ingham County,” Vail said.
Data from the Ingham County Health Department shows a sharp decline in current omicron wave numbers comparable to the peak of the delta variant wave at the end of 2021 and into early January.
"We’re back down to where we were as that delta curve was growing, and are continuing to drop from there,” Vail added.
Still, Vail expressed concern about the unpredictability of the virus. There may be a subvariant of omicron, and cases have also been detected in animals like whitetail deer and cats.
With case numbers falling, Vail says health officials in Michigan are talking about dropping mask mandates. She says that could happen in the next few weeks.
