FAIRMONT– On Monday Minnesota surpassed 1 million Covid-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic. Locally, numbers released on Monday showed showed a dip in cases, but health officials think it’s a matter of time until they’re on the rise again.

Data released from Community Health and Human Services of Faribault and Martin Counties showed just 71 new Covid-19 cases in Martin County reported in the week of Dec. 19 through Dec. 25. This is down from 110 cases at the beginning of the month.

Tim Langer, Public Health Sanitarian for Community Health and Human Services of Faribault and Martin Counties, said “I think what we’re seeing is that the number of cases that are sequenced are just a fraction of the positive cases throughout the county, state and country.”

Langer pointed out that data wasn’t collected over the long holiday weekend and a lot of people are doing at-home testing and that data isn’t collected, either.

The greatest concern now is the new Omicron variant. Langer said locally they’re seeing cases of both the Delta variant and Omicron variant, however it’s expected the Omicron variant will quickly displace the Delta variant.

He said the Omicron variant has the ability to evade immunity and also has an extremely high transmission rate.

“People who have had prior Covid-19 infection are susceptible to re-infection and even some who are vaccinated will contract it,” Langer said.

However, he said those who are vaccinated that contract it typically experience less severe symptoms. Langer also said the symptoms of Omicron have changed somewhat from other variants. Common symptoms are cough, fatigue, congestion, runny nose, headache and body ache.

He said there’s less lost of taste and smell with this variant, though it can still be experienced.

In terms of transmissibility, Langer said Omicron is more so than Delta, but in terms of severity, Langer said it’s yet to be determined.

“The concern is with the high transmissibility, we’re still going to see many, many hospitalizations and with the hospitals currently near capacity, it can create a lot of issues,” Langer said.

He also said they anticipate numbers to climb in the coming weeks following the holidays, especially given the high transmissibility rate of the new variant.

“One of the problems is we still have quite a few people who aren’t vaccinated and they’re susceptible to this variant,” Langer said.

According to data from the Minnesota Department of Health, 82 percent of Martin County’s population over 18 is vaccinated. There’s a possibility that number could go up.

“Due to the uncertainty of this variant, I think we’re seeing people starting to get vaccinated. I wouldn’t say there’s been a huge increase but there’s some concerns regarding this variant that’s getting people’s attention,” Langer said.

He said key takeaways are that if someone is vaccinated and have received a booster, they’re highly protected from serious illness and hospitalization.

Langer said it’s not too late for people to get vaccinated, He urges people to stay home if they’re sick and get tested as well. He pointed out that there’s the additional option of at-home test kits as well.

And while masking isn’t mandated by the state, Langer said it’s still a good idea.

“Due to the high transmissibility, masking is still important. People may want to consider an N95 or KN95 respirator because they provide a much greater level of protection if you’re in an indoor, public setting.”