‘Just a matter of time’: First omicron case in US reported in San Francisco
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Genomic testing at the University of California, San Francisco, and the CDC confirmed the first reported case of COVID-19 caused by the omicron variant in the United States, officials announced Wednesday.
The case was detected in a fully vaccinated person who returned to the U.S. from South Africa on Nov. 22, the CDC said.
According to National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony S. Fauci, MD, the person had not received a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Citing the omicron variant, the CDC said this week that every adult should get a booster shot.
“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 at a White House press briefing. “We know what we need to do to protect people. Get vaccinated. Get boosted.”
The person had mild symptoms, which are improving, the CDC said. It said the person has been self-quarantining since testing positive and that all of their close contacts have been contacted and have tested negative.
The omicron variant was first reported to WHO from South Africa on Nov. 24 and has since been detected in more than 20 countries. WHO and the U.S. have classified it as a variant of concern, though experts have said it may take weeks to fully understand the impact it could have on the pandemic.
According to the CDC, the delta variant remains the predominant SARS-CoV-2 virus in the U.S.
Perspective
Back to TopJeanne M. Marrazzo, MD, MPH
Among the few predictions most were comfortable making about the omicron variant was that we’d see it detected in the U.S. in a matter of weeks. This report confirms that prediction and reminds us that travel continues to create porous borders, with country-specific travel bans often coming too late and too imprecisely to stem the tide meaningfully. The person reported here returned from South Africa on Nov. 22 — 4 days before WHO announced omicron as a variant of concern, highlighting again that SARS-CoV-2 continues to have an evolutionary advantage that eludes our ability to accurately predict its next steps.
Perspective
Back to TopCornelius (Neil) J. Clancy, MD
It is not surprising that omicron was detected, and I suspect it will be reported from sites throughout the country in the days ahead. It is going to take about 2 weeks I would think for a more complete sense of what omicron is really going to mean. How transmissible is the variant? What are its clinical features and severity? Are our vaccines still effective?
At this point, there is no need to panic. Let's get the facts. In the meantime, we should continue to encourage vaccination, including third doses, and responsible prevention measures.
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