Bostonians weigh New Year’s plans as Omicron cases surge

Boston — Boston – The COVID surge that’s expected to continue in Massachusetts through the start of 2022 is causing to some to weigh their New Year’s plans.

The Commonwealth’s seven-day positivity rate is 11.08%.

That’s more than six times the level reported on November 1st - when the positivity rate was 1.75%.

Massachusetts reported 9,228 new confirmed cases on Tuesday, bringing the state’s total number of cases since the start of the pandemic to more than a million.

The sheer number of people getting sick as a result of Omicron has some people steering clear of large gatherings for the time being.

“Personally, I’m going to stay out of large, large groups, but to each their own I guess,” said Erin Provost.

Others believe the contagious variant is going to catch up with everyone sooner or later.

“I say you should do you. People who take severe precautions are still getting COVID,” said Stacy Salvant.

Set-up is still moving forward for First Night in Boston after a virtual New Year’s celebration last year.

The event in Copley Square and the Common is mostly outdoors this year and encourages people to wear masks.

As people still decide for themselves on private indoor gatherings, the message from health experts has been clear.

“There is so much COVID out there that you can’t go to a large gathering without expecting to get COVID,” said Dr. Shira Doron, epidemiologist with Tufts Medical Center.

Doron told Boston 25 News that she expects the daily positivity rate will continue to trend upward through some of January regardless of what people choose to do.

“The curves look very similar, straight up and down, in some countries that started earlier than us. Some of them took drastic measures, and some of them didn’t take drastic measures,” explained Doron.

She said people who are fully vaccinated, boosted and don’t have underlying medical conditions are well protected from serious symptoms.

“If you’re vaccinated and boosted, it will be like a cold or the flu,” said Doron. “Not everyone has to avoid COVID, and you’re not going to be able to avoid it forever.”

Doron believes the daily number of COVID cases being reported in Massachusetts only represents a fraction of the people who are positive.

That’s because the majority of at-home rapid antigen tests are not reported to state and federal health officials.

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