HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — The public health emergency may be over, but COVID-19 is here to stay with a new variant detected on island and according to Public Health the community should get vaccinated as vaccines may soon come with a cost.
On Sunday, the Department of Public Health and Social Services announced that it had confirmed two positive cases of the EG.5 (Eris) sub variant of Omicron.
The cases were confirmed to be positive on Sept. 1, but according to Public Health, Eris, although transmissible, is “not as severe.”
In August, the World Health Organization classified the EG.5 strain as a “variant of interest,” as it circulated the United States and China.
Now that it’s been detected on island, DPHSS is monitoring the situation and encouraging the island community to practice preventative measures.
“Wash your hands, wear a face mask in large social settings, and social distance when possible. Those experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, such as shortness of breath, fatigue, body aches, headaches, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion, nausea and/or diarrhea, should stay home, except to seek medical care,” DPHSS said in a release.
DPHSS stressed the importance of those who are experiencing symptoms to get tested and to avoid spreading the infection by self-quarantining at home while waiting for results.
“Individuals may pick up at-home test kits at Room Number 56 located in the Northern Regional Community Health Center in Dededo or the front desk of the Southern Regional Community Health Center in Inalåhan, Monday through Friday, from the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.,” the release said. If a home test results in a positive for COVID-19, contact Public Health immediately.
According to Public Health, individuals can report their positive COVID-19 home test result to dphss.surveillance@dphss.guam.gov with the following information:
Name
Date of Birth
Date of Test
Result
Contact Information
Picture of the resulted test
Those who test positive should isolate for 5 days, regardless of vaccination status, after symptom onset date or test collection date (if asymptomatic).
To reduce your chances of infection COVID-19 bivalent vaccinations and booster shots are available for free at the Bureau of Non-Communicable Disease Control in Hagåtna.
Public Health said the new COVID-19 vaccine will not be available until the end of September and by fall 2023, COVID-19 vaccines will be offered on the commercial market.
This means that COVID-19 vaccination “may come at a cost to individuals depending on their health insurance plans,” Public Health stated.
The Department of Public Health & Social Services Northern Health Center as seen Sunday, Aug. 27, 2023 in Dededo.
