The omicron variant has been reported in at least five states as of Friday morning, according to press statements released by several state health departments.
The latest state to announce a case of the omicron variant is Hawaii, which now joins California, Minnesota, Colorado, and New York as having omicron cases confirmed.
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On Thursday, the Hawaii Department of Health announced that an "O'ahu resident with moderate symptoms" tested positive for omicron. The individual, who had previously been infected with COVID-19 and never received the vaccine, has not left the state recently and reportedly caught the variant from someone else in the community.
New York health officials identified five cases of the omicron variant in Long Island, Queens, and Brooklyn, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced in a joint press conference with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio Thursday evening.
A 67-year-old vaccinated Suffolk County resident tested positive on Tuesday after traveling back to New York from South Africa and was experiencing mild symptoms, said Hochul. Health officials also reported four other cases but were uncertain of their vaccination status.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment confirmed the third U.S. case Thursday. The individual was a fully vaccinated adult female resident of Arapahoe County who had recently traveled to South Africa for tourism. She is experiencing minor symptoms.
The Minnesota Department of Health reported the second case of COVID Thursday morning after a male resident of Hennepin County tested positive. The individual had recently traveled to New York for an anime convention and was vaccinated.
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The first omicron case was reported in California Wednesday. That person was fully vaccinated and had recently arrived from South Africa. Dr. Anthony Fauci said during a press conference the individual "is self-quarantining and all close contacts have been contacted, and all close contacts thus far have tested negative."
The Biden administration announced Thursday that it intends to implement new COVID-19 mitigation efforts for travelers, including an extension of the mask mandates on planes, trains, and buses through March 2022. The White House previously restricted travel from the region surrounding South Africa, where the variant was first detected, in an effort to curb transmission.