A person in California is the first in the US to have an identified case of the COVID-19 omicron variant, the White House announced Wednesday as scientists continue to study the risks posed by the new strain of the virus. "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, the AP reports. 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.
Fauci told reporters at the White House that the omicron case makes it all the more important that people get vaccinated and that vaccinated people get booster shots. "We're preparing for the possibility that we need a variant-specific booster," Fauci said, per CNN. "But the mistake people would make is to say, 'let me wait and see if we get one.' If you're eligible for boosting, get boosted right now." He said the person in California, who is fully vaccinated but apparently hadn't received a booster shot, had only shown mild symptoms and is now improving. Fauci, the top US 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.
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