Physicians from health systems in the Atlanta metropolitan area are urging the public to help reduce COVID-19 spread, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
The physicians made their plea during a joint briefing Jan. 20, citing the strain of the pandemic on their organizations and residents.
"After two years of this pandemic, people are tired of hearing the word COVID," Supriya Mannepalli, MD, medical director for infectious diseases at Northeast Georgia Health System, said during the briefing, according to the Journal-Constitution.
According to CBS46, physicians noted long wait times in emergency rooms, capacity challenges and the toll COVID-19 is taking on children.
Additionally, they emphasized that not all omicron cases are mild and that people should not deliberately get infected, the Journal-Constitution reported.
Physicians encouraged safety measures including vaccination, masks and following public health guidelines.
New daily COVID-19 hospitalization rates in the U.S. have risen 36 percent over the last 14 days, with Georgia seeing a 40 percent increase during that period, according to HHS data tracked by The New York Times.