As Omicron Spreads, Older Americans Display a Mix of Worry and Resolve

They are at higher risk at becoming seriously ill from the virus, but they also don’t want to ‘stop doing the things that are most important.’

HOUSTON — Mary Kesterson, 67, was strolling maskless through Houston’s teeming Galleria mall this week, among a sea of shoppers hunting for last-minute gifts.

She was aware of the mounting anxiety across the country over the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus, and as an older American, she was a member of a group at heightened risk from the virus. But she saw no reason to do anything but forge ahead with her Christmas plans.

“I’m not worried about it,” Ms. Kesterson said. “I’m just going along with my life. We’re all vaccinated, everyone in the family.”