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

WASHINGTON (AP/CBS13) - A person in California became the first in the U.S. to have an identified case of the omicron variant of COVID-19, U.S. officials said on Wednesday. It comes as scientists continue to study the risks posed by the new strain of the virus.

Researchers at the UC Davis Genome Center have said it would only be a matter of time before the omicron variant was detected in the US. 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom's office reacted to the news of the omicron variant by urging people to remain vigilant.

"We know how to protect ourselves from COVID - get vaccinated, get your booster & wear a mask," Newsom's office tweeted.

The Biden administration moved late last month to restrict travel from Southern Africa where the variant was first identified and had been widespread. Clusters of cases have also been identified in about two dozen other nations. The official could not discuss the matter publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

"This is the first case of COVID-19 caused by the omicron variant detected in the United States," Dr. Anthony Fauci said at the White House. He said the person was a traveler who returned from South Africa on Nov. 22 and tested positive on Nov. 29.

Fauci said the person was vaccinated but had not received a booster shot and was experiencing "mild symptoms."

"We knew that it was just a matter of time," Fauci told reporters at the White House.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is taking steps to tighten U.S. testing rules for travelers from overseas, including requiring a test for all travelers within a day of boarding a flight to the U.S. regardless of vaccination status. It was also considering mandating post-arrival testing.

Officials said those measures would only "buy time" for the country to learn more about the new variant and to take appropriate precautions, but that given its transmissibility its arrival in the U.S. was inevitable.

Much remains unknown about the new variant, including whether it is more contagious than previous strains, whether it makes people more seriously ill, and whether it can thwart the vaccine. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, said more would be known about the omicron strain in two to four weeks as scientists grow and test lab samples of the virus.

The announcement of the first U.S. case comes before President Joe Biden plans to outline his strategy on Thursday to combat the virus over the winter. Biden has tried to quell alarm over the omicron variant, saying it was a cause for concern but "not a cause for panic."

Biden and public health officials have grown more urgent in their pleas for more Americans to get vaccinated - and for those who have been vaccinated to get booster shots to maximize their protection against the virus.

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

In:
• Coronavirus