Omicron is now the dominant COVID-19 strain in Washoe County, driving an overall case surge that is expected to surpass previous spikes, health officials said Wednesday. Though only 61 Omicron cases have been confirmed through genomic sequencing, experts believe over 90% of new cases are the Omicron variant based on recent wastewater samples. Washoe County health officer Kevin Dick said he’s ‘cautiously optimistic’ the variant is less severe than Delta, but worried that high case counts could still lead to increased strain on area hospitals.