DC residents advised to put on facemasks due to emerging Omicron cases

WASHINGTON, Dec 2 (KUNA) -- District of Columbia Mayor Muriel E. Bowser moved to beef up the DC coronavirus response Thursday as the United States braces for the impacts of the emerging infections with Omicron variant.
She issued an "advisory" recommending indoor masking but refrained from bringing back the indoor mask mandate.
In a related development, Director of the DC Department of Health LaQuandra Nesbitt announced new walk-up vaccination sites for any DC residents age five and up, where residents can get both first doses and booster shots, at three DC libraries in Woodridge, Petworth and downtown. She said that the city's at-home vaccination program - originally created for homebound people to get shots delivered to them - will expand to include any family who wants shots at home. Parents of children ages five to 11 can call the city to get a vaccination for their children at their own house; the on-call medical professionals can also administer first shots or boosters to the whole household.
Many city vaccine sites that have offered vaccines only for children or only for adults will also start serving walk-up patrons of any age, Nesbitt added.
The US health authorities identified the first Omicron case in California yesterday, the second and third in Minnesota and Colorado, respectively, earlier today. (pickup previous) asj.gb