There’s yet another coronavirus variant out there that could pose a new threat.

The World Health Organization has designated the B.1.1.529, or omicron, variant as a “variant of concern,” its most serious designation for a COVID-19 variant. Officials say the variant, which was first detected in South Africa, hasn’t reached the United States yet, but it’s already in Canada and could reach the U.S. soon.

It’s not time to panic, but it is time to prepare. Scientists aren’t quite sure how transmissible — or how severe — omicron is just yet. Even ahead of the variant’s arrival, COVID cases are rising again throughout the state and are predicted to increase further as people gather for the holidays.

“We need to pay attention to those mitigation strategies that people are just really sick of, like wearing masks when you’re indoors with other people who might not be vaccinated, and keeping that social distance,” Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, told CNN. “I know, America, you’re really tired of hearing those things. But the virus is not tired of us. And it’s shapeshifting itself.”

After fighting this pandemic for nearly two years, we know what North Carolina can do to brace for this variant and mitigate what could very well be a winter spike in cases. That starts, of course, with getting North Carolinians vaccinated. Unlike with the delta variant, children ages 5 to 11 can now get a COVID vaccine, and anyone 18 and older can get a booster shot for an additional layer of protection against the virus. Still, the state’s vaccination rates aren’t where they should be — just 57% of the total population is fully vaccinated, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services dashboard.

“If ever there was a reason for the people who were vaccinated to get boosted, and for those who were unvaccinated to get vaccinated, it’s now,” Dr. Anthony Fauci told NBC News.

At some point, North Carolina may want to consider re-implementing cash incentives for vaccinations, which slowed the decline in vaccine rates by half at the clinics they were offered, a study found. (The vaccine lottery, on the other hand, had virtually no impact.) But we can’t fight this pandemic with vaccines alone — especially if not everyone is vaccinated. North Carolina and its cities and towns should be prepared to enact measures to contain the spread of the omicron variant if need be, just as they’ve done in the past.

In addition to flexibility and responsiveness, transparency should be a top priority. People are tired of following the rules and will likely be wary of new ones. That means tying things like face mask mandates to local coronavirus metrics, such as the positivity rate, rather than issuing a blanket mandate for an indefinite period of time. In Mecklenburg County, for example, the mask mandate will be lifted if the daily COVID-19 positivity rate remains below 5% for seven days.

Gathering restrictions and stay-at-home orders should be considered only as a last resort. In the meantime, cities should discourage indoor gatherings by providing reasonable alternatives. Earlier in the pandemic, many cities allowed restaurants to convert sidewalks and dedicated parking spaces into temporary outdoor dining. It may be getting colder, but outdoor dining can still be an option — well-ventilated, tented spaces with heat lamps can offer a safe, yet comfortable, solution.

It’s also possible that the omicron variant could affect our schools. The delta variant arose over the summer, when the traditional school calendar wasn’t yet in session. Now, the school year is in full swing, and every school system should have a plan to keep students in classrooms learning safely. It may be time to consider regular testing or vaccine mandates for both students and teachers, and once again require masks in the 39 districts that have voted to make them optional.

The pandemic is not over, and now is not the time to give up on trying to curb it. Strong preventative and mitigation measures can help us get ahead of this variant. North Carolina should start preparing for omicron now, rather than waiting for it to strike.