1st US case of COVID omicron variant confirmed in California

By MICHAEL BALSAMO and ZEKE MILLER

WASHINGTON (AP) — A idiosyncratic successful California who had been vaccinated against COVID-19 became the archetypal successful the U.S. to person an identified lawsuit of the omicron variant, the White House announced Wednesday arsenic scientists proceed to survey the risks posed by the caller microorganism strain.

Dr. Anthony Fauci told reporters 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.”

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.

“We knew that it was conscionable a substance of clip earlier the archetypal lawsuit of omicron would beryllium detected successful the United States,” Fauci said.

He said the idiosyncratic was improving and added, “I deliberation what’s happening present is different illustration of wherefore it’s important for radical to get vaccinated. But besides boosting. Boosting is precise important.”

Officials said they had contacted everyone who had adjacent interaction with the idiosyncratic and they had each tested negative.

Genomic sequencing was conducted astatine the University of California, San Francisco and the series was confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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.

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. 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.

California’s Department of Public Health credited the state’s “large-scale investigating and aboriginal detection systems” for identifying the case.

“We admit that everyone is exhausted, and the quality of a caller variant tin beryllium overwhelming. It is important that we collectively absorption connected the things we cognize forestall the dispersed of COVID-19, and its variants,” authorities nationalist wellness officials said successful a statement.

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.