12-21-21 wi health officials urge vaccinations, precautions

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin health officials and Gov. Tony Evers are urging residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and take other precautions, such as wearing masks and keeping holiday gatherings small. The warning Monday comes as the new omicron variant is expected to create a surge in cases over the coming weeks. Evers is urging everyone who hasn’t already been vaccinated and received their booster dose to do so soon. He says that is “critically important for mitigating surges in hospitalizations and deaths across our state.” The state Department of Health Services says in a public health advisory that the highly contagious omicron variant of COVID-19 is expected to cause a “rapid increase in disease activity in the coming weeks.”