Person In California Becomes 1st Case Of Omicron COVID-19 Variant Identified In US

WASHINGTON (AP/CBS13) – A idiosyncratic successful California became the archetypal successful the U.S. to person an identified lawsuit of the omicron variant of COVID-19, U.S. officials said connected Wednesday. It comes arsenic scientists proceed to survey the risks posed by the caller strain of the virus.

Researchers astatine the UC Davis Genome Center person said it would lone beryllium a substance of clip earlier the omicron variant was detected successful the US. 

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s bureau reacted to the quality of the omicron variant by urging radical to stay vigilant.

“We cognize however to support ourselves from COVID – get vaccinated, get your booster & deterioration a mask,” Newsom’s bureau tweeted.

The Biden medication moved precocious past period to restrict question from Southern Africa wherever the variant was archetypal identified and had been widespread. Clusters of cases person besides been identified successful astir 2 twelve different nations. The authoritative could not sermon the substance publically and spoke to the AP connected information of anonymity.

“This is the archetypal lawsuit of COVID-19 caused by the omicron variant detected successful the United States,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said astatine the White House. He said the idiosyncratic was a traveler who returned from South Africa connected Nov. 22 and tested affirmative connected Nov. 29.

Fauci said the idiosyncratic was vaccinated but had not received a booster changeable and was experiencing “mild symptoms.”

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“We knew that it was conscionable a substance of time,” Fauci told reporters astatine the White House.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is taking steps to tighten U.S. investigating rules for travelers from overseas, including requiring a trial for each travelers wrong a time of boarding a formation to the U.S. careless of vaccination status. It was besides considering mandating post-arrival testing.

.@CAPublicHealth, @SF_DPH & @UCSF person detected a lawsuit of the Omicron variant.

As we proceed to larn much astir Omicron, determination is nary crushed to panic but we should stay vigilant.

We cognize however to support ourselves from COVID – get vaccinated, get your booster & deterioration a mask.

— Office of the Governor of California (@CAgovernor) December 1, 2021

Officials said those measures would lone “buy time” for the state to larn much astir the caller variant and to instrumentality due precautions, but that fixed its transmissibility its accomplishment successful the U.S. was inevitable.

Much remains chartless astir the caller variant, including whether it is much contagious than erstwhile strains, whether it makes radical much earnestly ill, and whether it tin thwart the vaccine. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the apical U.S. infectious illness expert, said much would beryllium known astir the omicron strain successful 2 to 4 weeks arsenic scientists turn and trial laboratory samples of the virus.

The announcement of the archetypal U.S. lawsuit comes earlier President Joe Biden plans to outline his strategy connected Thursday to combat the microorganism implicit the winter. Biden has tried to quell alarm implicit the omicron variant, saying it was a origin for interest but “not a origin for panic.”

Biden and nationalist wellness officials person grown much urgent successful their pleas for much Americans to get vaccinated – and for those who person been vaccinated to get booster shots to maximize their extortion against the virus.

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Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.