Oklahoma Health Experts Say Travel Increase Could Help Omicron Variant Spread

Health experts say the recent rise in traveling and gathering for the holidays could cause the Omicron Variant to spread faster than other variants.

Tulsa International Aiport says about 125,000 people are scheduled to come in and out of Tulsa between December 20 and January 3rd, a number that has some health experts worried. Airport officials say this is usually the busiest time of the year for traveling mainly because of the holiday season.

With Omicron variant cases rising health experts say taking the proper precautions like wearing a mask and getting vaccinated are vital in controlling the highly contagious strain. The CDC says 75% of the new cases in the country are the Omicron variant.

The Oklahoma Department of Health also is reporting there are more than 7000 active cases. OU Chief COVID Officer Dr. Dale Bratzler says he is concerned about how much the virus could spread when you combine the huge amount of traveling and the indoor gatherings that take place in the holidays.

"This virus spreads so easily and it grows so rapidly in your upper airways, that you carry a pretty high viral load, that's easy to spread around. So, if you're around somebody, particularly somebody that's not wearing a mask, [it's] very substantial risk, if they're an infected, very very substantial risk," said Dr. Bratzler

The airport says they are expecting a 25% increase in traveling this year than in 2019 before the pandemic started.