COLUMBUS, Ohio — As we approach Christmas, the omicron variant isn't letting up. The variant has now been detected in every state in the country.
And here in Ohio, nearly 16,000 new cases reported on Thursday, that’s the most cases reported in a single day since the pandemic began.
Before you gather this week, you might be asking yourself, is it safe? Am I taking every precaution? Am I doing the right thing? And you're not alone.
Two nights before Christmas, a final trip to the grocery store was on the list for many families, as some get ready to see family.
“Last year I got COVID the day before Christmas so my family shut down for two weeks and we didn't get to see anybody so we're really excited to be able to at least see people as much as we can,” said Jamie Chinnock.
While others are having to change their plans just days ahead of Christmas.
“Just last night a family member of mine got diagnosed with COVID and pneumonia and he's in the hospital right now. He's got his own family and kids and they're self-quarantining so we won't be seeing any of them this holiday season which is a huge bummer for us,” said Tyler Forrest.
But even those who are keeping their plans, say they had to take some precautions, especially when seeing older grandparents.
“We're just fresh off getting our booster so we can be a safe as we can and we're not doing a large family gathering my mom used to host a party for like 40 of my aunts and uncles and we cancel that this year so we're adapting as much as we can,” said Chinnock.
A reminder, the CDC says those with COVID are supposed to isolate for 10 days starting from the first day of symptoms. Those exposed to COVID are asked to quarantine for up to 14.