Governor Roy Cooper and Dr. Mandy Cohen addressed the state Tuesday about the emerging Omicron variant of COVID-19.

The Governor, Cohen, and Health Director for Lenoir County Pamela Brown all said not much is known about Omicron, but in preparation for the unknown, they encourage people to get vaccinated and get their booster shots.

“I think that there’s probably more that we don’t know about it than we do know about it. It is, you know, a variant of concern,” Brown said.

As news of the Omicron variant begins to circulate, local health experts in our state like Brown are staying alert for the unknowns it may bring with it.

“I think the important point for us is that we’ve seen these variants develop within the United States and even outside of the United States but that come here and impact us,” Brown said.

The good news is it doesn’t look like it’s reached us just yet.

“We have not seen it here in North Carolina, nor in other states, but I know all of our lab experts are looking closely at our data right now,” Cohen said.

But Cohen and Brown said that doesn’t mean we should sit back and wait for it to reach us.

They encourage people to be proactive about staying healthy through the winter.

“Just really having your protection plans in place until we have more information about this variant,” Brown said. "Like wearing a mask while traveling, getting vaccinated, and even getting an extra dose."

Cohen also stressed the booster shots.

“With the holidays, colder weather, and this potential of a new variant approaching, you should not put off getting your booster,” she said.

Both experts said we don’t know how fast it spreads or if the vaccines work against it but Cohen said we do know that the current COVID-19 tests in place can detect it.