Dec. 1, 2021 -- The archetypal lawsuit of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus successful the United States was confirmed by officials contiguous successful an idiosyncratic successful California who had precocious traveled to South Africa. He oregon she was fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and experienced lone "mild symptoms that are improving," officials with the CDC said.
The patient, who was not named successful the CDC's annoucement of the archetypal U.S. lawsuit of the Omicron variant on Wednesday, is self-quarantining.
"All adjacent contacts person been contacted and person tested negative," officials said.
White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients reiterated that the archetypal lawsuit was not unexpected.
"The president’s aesculapian squad continues to judge that existing vaccines volition supply immoderate level of extortion against terrible unwellness from Omicron, and individuals who person gotten boosters person adjacent stronger protection," Zients said successful a statement.
"This caller variant is origin for continued vigilance, not panic," helium said. "We cognize what it takes to bounds the dispersed of COVID: Get vaccinated, get boosted, and instrumentality nationalist wellness measures similar masking and distancing."
The Omicron variant, archetypal identified successful South Africa, has been reported successful countries astir the satellite successful caller days. Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, and Germany each reported this variant, arsenic person Italy and the Netherlands. Over the weekend, the archetypal North American cases were identified successful Canada. It's presently been recovered successful astatine slightest 23 countries, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.
Anthony Fauci, MD, manager of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, announced implicit the play that this newest variant was apt already successful the U.S., telling ABC’s This Week its quality present was “inevitable.”
Similar to erstwhile variants, this caller strain apt started circulating successful the U.S. earlier scientists could bash familial tests to corroborate its presence.
The WHO named Omicron a “variant of concern” connected Friday, adjacent though overmuch remains chartless astir however good it spreads, however terrible it tin be, and however it whitethorn defy vaccines. In the meantime, the U.S. enacted travel bans from aggregate South African countries.
It remains to beryllium seen if Omicron volition travel the signifier of the Delta variant, which was archetypal identified successful the U.S. successful May and became the ascendant strain by July. It’s besides imaginable it volition travel the way taken by the Mu variant. Mu emerged successful March and April to overmuch concern, lone to fizzle out by September due to the fact that it was incapable to vie with the Delta variant.
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