Nueces County leaders warn Omicron likely to arrive, urge vaccinations and boosters

NUECES COUNTY, Texas — County and city officials urged residents to get vaccinated and boosted during a joint press briefing in the commissioners’ courtroom, saying the World Health Organization’s Nov. 26 classification of the B.1.1.529 variant — known as Omicron — makes preparation urgent even though the variant had not been identified in the county at the time of the briefing.

"The most important thing you can do, the one lesson from today, is get vaccinated," Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales said, adding that officials from the city, county and local hospitals were coordinating a unified public‑health message. She also relayed early news about an antiviral under FDA advisory review, saying it "does show some efficacy with regards to severe illness and 30% less death," while noting the drug must still clear additional federal review before local rollout.

Health Director Annette Rodriguez told the public the local health district is tracking three key questions about Omicron: transmissibility, immune escape and pathogenicity. Rodriguez said current local data show about 52% of the county is fully vaccinated and "about 50% of our population that is not vaccinated," and she urged unvaccinated residents to get vaccinated and eligible adults to get boosters now. Rodriguez reiterated CDC guidance that children 5 and older should be vaccinated and that boosters are recommended for people 18 and older.

"If you've had the Pfizer or Moderna, you're going to want to get your booster six months after that last vaccine," Rodriguez said. "If you have the single‑shot Johnson & Johnson, it'll be two months." She also encouraged testing at the first sign of symptoms and said monoclonal antibodies remain an early treatment option for eligible patients.

Local health authority Dr. Srikant Ramachandruni reviewed genetic findings from early reports and emphasized uncertainty. "There are so many mutations," he said, noting that Omicron has more spike‑protein changes than prior variants and that PCR testing should detect it, while antigen and many home tests remain less certain. Ramachandruni urged unvaccinated adults and eligible children to complete the vaccination series as more data become available over the following weeks.

Dr. Osbert Blow, chief executive of Christus Spohn Health System, said hospitals will continue to provide testing and treatment and reiterated the community imperative to vaccinate. He described ongoing vaccination clinics at the Shoreline campus medical office building and said children’s vaccine hours are provided on Fridays to accommodate school schedules.

Texas A&M–Corpus Christi modeler Dr. Chris Byrd told attendees the variant meets criteria for a "variant of concern" and said early sequencing suggests rapid spread. "This is probably the most transmissible variant we've seen yet," Byrd said, while cautioning that severity and other properties remain under investigation. Byrd displayed IHME projections showing that high mask uptake and vaccination could prevent a large winter surge.

Officials also described local access points for shots, including a public vaccination site at La Palmyra Mall with free RTA transportation, and a "Saving Our Seniors" program that has delivered more than 5,000 in‑home vaccinations to date. Judge Canales said officials would hold weekly briefings through December while monitoring federal and local developments.

The briefing closed with operational questions about venue and timing for forthcoming county–city transitions; Judge Canales said county officials are discussing responsible timing and contingency planning in light of the variant.

The county said it will publish slide materials and vaccination site information on the City‑County Public Health website and reminded residents to follow CDC guidance on masking, testing and isolation.