President Joe Biden is expected to extend a mask mandate on all public transportation Thursday through mid-March as the first case of the new omicron COVID-19 variant has been detected in the United States.
He also wants inbound international passengers to take a COVID test within 24 hours of departure and plans to increase the availability of free at-home rapid tests.
WATCH ANYTIME FOR FREE
 |
Stream NBC10 Boston news for free, 24/7, wherever you are. |
Local doctors say there is something you can do right now to protect yourself from the new variant, which was first detected in South Africa -- get a booster.
"We do see people having waning immunity over the course of five or six months and getting a booster is going to give your immune system a real kick to really remember how to fight this virus so that you get lots of extra antibodies in your system to prevent you from getting seriously ill," said Dr. Richard Ellison of UMass Memorial Medical Center.
Get updates on what's happening in Boston to your inbox. Sign up for our News Headlines newsletter.
Doctors are still waiting to learn more about how fast omicron spreads and if it causes more severe disease.
More local coverage
The variant was detected Wednesday in the U.S. in a person who had traveled from South Africa to San Francisco. Health officials do say the person was fully vaccinated and has only mild symptoms.
COVID-19 cases were on the rise here in Massachusetts even before the new variant was discovered. There were over 4,800 new cases reported on Wednesday, the highest since January, with more than 950 in the hospital.
The positivity rate is now over 5%.
Doctors say the best thing you can do is to get vaccinated and get a third dose if you're able.
"All of the measures that we've been recommending so far are still applicable," said Dr. Sabrina Assoumou of Boston Medical Center. "Get vaccinated, wear a mask when you're in indoor public settings and see if you can improve ventilation, and also use testing."
