First case of new mutant COVID in U.S. found in Calif.
The first case of the omicron variant of COVID-19 in the U.S. has been identified in California as health officials from the Bay Area to South Africa scrambled to contain the fast-spreading new strain.
U.S. health officials Wednesday confirmed the case in a traveler who returned to San Francisco from South Africa on Nov. 22.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S.’ top infectious disease expert, said the person tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday.
“The individual, who was fully vaccinated and had mild symptoms that are improving, is self-quarantining and has been since testing positive,” the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement.
Fauci stressed there is no reason for people in California to panic about the omicron report.
“For the people in California ... just do all the things we’ve been talking about,” Fauci said. “For those who have been doing that, keep doing that. For those who haven’t been doing that, start doing it.”
“We’ll fight this variant with science and speed, not chaos and confusion,” President Biden said before a speech focused on fixing supply chain woes and bringing down inflation.
The omicron case means the feared new strain has now hopscotched across the globe and been identified in 23 countries on every continent except Antarctica. Nigeria and Saudi Arabia reported infections, marking the first known cases in West Africa and the Persian Gulf.
Biden plans to outline his strategy on Thursday to combat the resurgent pandemic over the coming winter, which will surely include a new plea for people to get vaccinated and get booster shots as soon as they are eligible.
The large majority of omicron cases globally have been in southern Africa, where it appears to be spreading widely in South Africa’s most populous province of Gauteng, home to the sprawling cities of Pretoria and Johannesburg.
South African health officials reported 8,561 new COVID cases Wednesday, about double the number from a day earlier and an eye-popping 570% jump from the same day last week. The positive test rate increased to 16.5%, also a big jump from previous figures.