Wastewater samples show that the new Omicron variant is now the dominant strain of the coronavirus in the Florida county that is home to America’s largest theme park resorts, officials say.
The Omicron variant has quickly surpassed the Delta variant in collections taken from wastewater sampling sites in Orange County, officials say.
Even though the county has almost no confirmed cases involving Omicron, a sampling this week shows the variant represents almost 100 percent of the coronavirus strains in the wastewater facility samples, Orange County Utilities spokesperson Sarah Lux says in an email.
However, it’s a different story when it comes to people seeking treatment for COVID-19, officials said.
“Those who are hospitalized are being primarily infected by the Delta variant,” Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said yesterday at a news conference held at the Orlando International Airport.
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