During a press conference at the White House, Dr Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the case occurred in an individual who traveled from South Africa on November 22 and tested positive for Covid-19 on November 29.
That individual, Fauci said, is self-isolating and close contacts have tested negative for coronavirus so far.
The person is fully vaccinated and is experiencing “mild symptoms, which are improving at this time,” Fauci said.
Asked by CNN if the person had received booster injections, Fauci said, “To my knowledge, no.”
The California and San Francisco Departments of Public Health and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that this case was caused by the Omicron variant through genome sequencing conducted at the University of California at San Francisco. Francisco, and confirmed with the CDC, Fauci said.
The World Health Organization designates Omicron as a “variant of concern.” In a technical summary published this week, WHO notes that this variant poses a “very high” risk globally. This variant was first identified by scientists in South Africa, and has since been detected in several countries.
Scientists are working to determine how transmissible the variant is, how it causes disease in humans, and how effectively current vaccines work against it. Until more information is known about this release, the United States has restricted travel from South Africa and seven other countries.
On Monday, President Joe Biden called the variant “a cause for concern, not a cause for panic,” saying that “we will face this new threat as we face these new threats.” who came before it.”
Health officials are encouraging people to get vaccinated against Covid-19 or get a booster shot if they qualify. Other measures such as masks, hand washing, physical balance and ventilation will still work against the Omicron variant.
The Delta variant of the coronavirus remains the dominant variant globally and in the United States.
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