Omicron variant found in Minn. with links to NYC

U.S. and New York City health officials said Thursday that they were working closely with authorities in Minnesota after that state reported the nation’s second confirmed case of the omicron coronavirus variant.

The first U.S. case was reported in California on Wednesday. The variant was first identified in South Africa last week and has now been found in about two dozen countries.

The Minnesota Department of Health said a state resident who recently traveled to New York City was found to be infected with the variant. The man experienced mild symptoms Nov. 22, was tested Nov. 24 and no longer has symptoms.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the agency has been monitoring and preparing for omicron and is working with officials in Minnesota.

“CDC has expanded its capacity for genomic sequencing over the past nine months and we have more tools to fight the variant than we had at this time last year,” she said in a statement.

Vaccines, boosters, masking in indoor public settings, washing hands frequently and physical distancing “work to prevent the spread of COVID-19, no matter the genetic sequence,” she said.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said city officials are aware of the Minnesota case and its link with travel to New York. The conference the traveler attended required masks and complied with the city’s vaccination requirements, he said.

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● GlaxoSmithKline says its antibody drug appears to be effective against omicron based on initial lab testing. The drugmaker said it hopes to complete testing by year’s end to confirm whether the drug is effective against all the mutations seen with the variant. The announcement is one of the first indications that at least some of the current COVID-19 treatments will retain their potency against the emerging strain. On Tuesday, Regeneron cautioned that its antibody cocktail appeared to lose effectiveness against omicron.