Omicron variant detected in the US

The US has identified its first reported case of Covid-19 caused by the Omicron coronavirus variant, with health officials confirming that an individual in California had tested positive.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday that the variant was discovered in an individual who returned from South Africa on November 22, two days before the variant was first reported to the World Health Organization by the country.

Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, said the individual was fully vaccinated and displayed mild symptoms.

“We knew that it was just a matter of time before the first case of Omicron would be detected in the United States,” Fauci said. “We know what we need to do to protect people: get vaccinated if you’re not already vaccinated; get boosted if you’ve been vaccinated.”

The CDC said it “has been actively monitoring and preparing for this variant, and we will continue to work diligently with other US and global public health and industry partners to learn more”.

Biden is expected today to announce a series of measures designed to slow the spread of Covid-19 over the winter, including a stricter testing requirement for international travellers. But Fauci said even with the country’s first Omicron case, the administration is not considering mandatory testing on arrival.

“This person did what we hope other people would do,” he said. “As soon as they became symptomatic, they went and got tested, and it was positive.”

Last week, on the same day that the WHO declared Omicron a “variant of concern”, Biden announced that travel to the US from several African countries would be restricted. Fauci said on Wednesday that those restrictions would be temporary, though he did not specify when they would be lifted._Financial Times