The first case of the new Omicron coronaviruses variant has been confirmed in California, less than a week after it was first detected in South Africa.
The nation's top infectious disease expert announced the news at a White House press briefing.
The California and San Francisco departments of public health and the CDC have confirmed that a recent case of COVID-19 among an individual in California was caused by Omicron variant.
The person who tested positive was a fully vaccine-vaccinated traveler who returned from South Africa. Fauci said that the person, who has not been publicly identified, appears to be improving. Fauci said that all of their close contacts have tested negative so far.
He said that they knew it was a matter of time.
The case was uncovered by California's large-scale testing and early-detection systems.
There is no reason to panic. We should remain alert. That means you need to bevaccinated. Get increased. Wear a mask indoors.
Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Tuesday that the agency was looking for the variant but had not yet found a case.
South Africa reported the Omicron variant to the World Health Organization. The WHO classified Omicron as avariant of concern on Friday due to a high number of mutations that could help the virus evade the vaccines and spread more easily.
It has been found in more than a dozen countries, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Britain, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal and the United States.
Dr. Anthony Fauci was speaking at the White House. Susan Walsh is associated with AP.
The first U.S. case was expected. Fauci said on Sunday that Omicron would arrive in the United States.
Fauci said on ABC's "This Week" that a virus that has already gone to multiple countries will inevitably be here. Will we be prepared for it?
President Biden said on Monday that the arrival of Omicron would not lead to new restrictions, even as he admitted that little is known about this newest strain.
Biden told reporters at the White House that the variant is not cause for panic.
Biden said that his administration would fight the new variant with more vaccinations, boosters, testing and more.
The question is whether that will be enough to contain the variant. Nobody knows for sure.
The biggest worry about Omicron is that it can evade key antibodies, potentially rendering the existing vaccines less protective. The country that just recovered from a big COVID spike driven by the hypercontagious Delta variant suggests that that is a real possibility. Most experts think they will have immunity against severe disease.
The Omicron variant would cause a material drop in the effectiveness of the vaccines, according to the CEO of Moderna.
Bancel told the Financial Times on Monday that there is no world where the effectiveness is the same as it was with Delta. The scientists I've talked to are not positive.
Scientists are studying whether Omicron is more likely to cause death or illness than Delta. The answers are expected in early December.
The latest on the Omicron variant.
Early data from South Africa shows that Guateng, the epicenter of the Omicron outbreak, is seeing a rise in cases, but hospitalizations are not.
John Burn-Murdoch of the Financial Times explained that the same pace of admissions may indicate a lower proportion of severe disease. It is possible that this is the result of more infections-acquired immunity or cases of younger people.
If cases spread from being mostly young, the share of patients in the intensive care unit may change. It would suggest T- and B-cells kicking in, which is a reference to other immune defenses that tend to be less affected by the changes.
It is still too early to say for sure, but no red flags about virulence have emerged yet.
A man is getting a vaccine at an outdoor clinic in Washington, D.C. The photo was taken by Jim Watson/AFP.
Omicron is likely to face more resistance in the US than in South Africa. Here, 59 percent of the population is fully vaccineed; there is just 24 percent. More than 10 million additional Americans have acquired immunity through infections. Boosters enlarge the capacity of your immune system to recognize all kinds of different spike proteins, and are now recommended for all adults. The Delta variant is causing an average of more than 80,000 new U.S. cases per day, which is substantial competition for any novel variant. The more people who are currentlyinfecting with a different strain of infectious disease, the less hosts are available for a new person.
It is possible that Omicron has more in common with the Alpha variant than with the hypercontagious Delta. The newer variant would have to rely on breakthrough infections and re-infections to beat its predecessor. The degree to which it could do that would be dependent on how quickly the U.S. moves to immunize and boost its population while approving new antiviral treatments and possibly updating its vaccines.
Stephen Hoge, the president of Moderna, said that the new variant of Omicron could make it, in the words of many experts, the "Frankenstein mix of all of the greatest hits".
Delta was first detected in the U.S. in March. In early April, it was a small part of U.S. cases. The variant accounted for 1.3 percent of cases by early May. The figure had increased to 9.5 percent by early June.
Delta was the most dominant strain in the US by July 6.
People are in New York City. Spencer Platt is pictured.
The Yahoo Immersive Team has created a 3D experience that shows how the Delta variant relates to the national political landscape.
