The omicron variant of the coronavirus has been found in Boston.
The city’s Public Health Commission announced Wednesday that three residents had tested positive for the new variant. According to the commission, all three are young adults who were not fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Their cases were described as mild, with none requiring hospitalization.
Speaking to the press at the Vietnamese American Community Center in Dorchester, Mayor Michelle Wu said her administration has been anticipating the detection of the omicron variant in Boston. She emphasized that vaccination remains key to curbing the pandemic.
“It was only a matter of time before the new variants make their way to our global, metropolitan city,” she said. “This is why it's so urgent and important for each one of us to get vaccinated, get boosted.”
Wu said that the vast majority of COVID-19 hospitalizations are coming in people who have not received the vaccine.
The announcement of confirmed omicron cases in Boston comes the same day that Gov. Charlie Baker's administration said it would re-establish a vaccination clinic at Fenway Park next month. Fenway hosted a mass vaccination site last winter before operations moved to the Hynes Convention Center as the Red Sox season got underway.
Wu said the ballpark clinic will be a big boost to the city’s vaccination efforts. “We know that when there are opportunities for people to find the time, find a convenient location [and] have a walk-in experience, it’s a lot easier for families that are juggling multiple obligations.”
The use of Fenway Park comes as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations remain elevated across the state. In recent weeks, some hospitals in Central Massachusetts have said that they’re at capacity. In response, the Baker administration put new rules in place aimed at reducing certain elective procedures.
With cases high, some have suggested the reopening of coronavirus field hospitals like those that were previously set up at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. But Wu said that in Boston, hospitals are less worried about capacity for patients than they are concerned about workers.
“The concern here is less about a lack of facilities or beds, and more about a challenge when it comes to staffing the beds that are in Boston,” said Wu. “Our healthcare workers and first responders are burned out.”
A group of state legislators and health experts are calling on Baker to take a stronger stance on COVID-19, urging the administration to adopt stricter protocols, including a statewide mask mandate.
When asked about that push by GBH News, Wu cited the mask mandate that the city has in place, and her administration’s coordination with other municipalities.
“We’ll continue to partner with the state where we can partner,” said Wu, “and we’ll continue to move forward without the state where we need to do that too.”
