People wait in line at a Covid-19 mobile testing site in the Times Square neighborhood of New York.
The omicron variant of Covid-19 has been confirmed in 20 cases in New York state.
The state expects these case numbers to continue to rise, and noted that there is community spread of the new variant.
The governor said at a press conference in New York City that they are prepared to say what they have is community spread. It isn't coming from people who have traveled, but from the community.
New York state confirmed its first five cases of the omicron variant last week.
It was first identified in southern Africa in November and has since been found in more than 20 states and 57 countries. Scientists are trying to answer questions about the variant's severity, transmissibility and impact on vaccine efficacy.
