‘There Is Still Work To Do’: White House Advisor Urges Continued Commitment To Safety Amid Omicron Variant

Oklahoma’s and the nation’s average daily count of new COVID-19 cases has begun to come down slightly from an Omicron variant-fueled spike, but health and medical experts warn this is not the time to let our collective guard down.

“We are certainly in a spot where there is still work to do,” said Dr. Cameron Webb, White House Senior Policy Advisor for COVID-19 Equity said. “There’s still a lot that we’re expecting of people in communities across the country, to make sure they’re staying safe and keeping other people safe.”

The Biden administration continues to urge Americans to get vaccinated and boosted, saying they along with other basic safety measures like mask-wearing, remain the best protection against a virus that has claimed 875,000 lives across the country and more than 13,000 in Oklahoma.

Just under 55 percent of Oklahomans are fully vaccinated. Thirty-five percent of that population have received booster shots.

“You want to have that other line of defense,” said Dr. Webb. “Those neutralizing antibodies, and that’s what boosters do.”