Omicron Found In Wastewater At Florida County Home To Disney And Universal Parks

Wastewater samples in Florida’s Orange County, home to theme parks operated by the Walt Disney Co. DIS and Comcast Corporation’s CMCSA Universal division, have shown the new omicron variant is now the dominant strain of COVID-19 for the region.

What Happened: The Associated Press reported the omicron variant represented nearly 100% of the strains in samples collected from county’s wastewater sampling sites. While the wastewater samples show very little signs of the delta variant, the omicron variant has yet to create a new wave of local hospitalizations.

“Those who are hospitalized are being primarily infected by the delta variant,” said Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings at a news conference.

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Why It Matters: Orange County is home to the Walt Disney World Resort and the Universal Orlando Resort, as well as SeaWorld Entertainment Inc.'s SEAS SeaWorld Orlando, and Legoland Florida Resort, which is owned by the U.K.-based Merlin Entertainments Ltd. which, in turn, is co-owned by the Blackstone Group BX. The theme parks are major economic engines for the region, bringing in tens of millions of visitors annually.

The Orange County government issued a statement clarifying the results of the sampling, noting the coronavirus is not in the local wastewater.

“Only dead pieces of the virus are present,” said the local government statement, adding that the wastewater is “thoroughly treated” to remove all virus pieces before it is repurposed.

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