First Omicron Positive Case Detected in the United States
Anika H. Ahmed, MD
On Wednesday, December 1st, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases announced at a press briefing at the White House that the first positive case of Omicron variant of the Coronavirus has been detected in California. The positive individual did travel back from South Africa to the United States on Monday, November 22nd, 2021, and was identified as positive on Monday, November 29th, 2021, by the University of California in San Francisco, through genomic sequencing. The California and San Francisco Departments of Public Health and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that the positive Covid-19 was caused by the Omicron variant.
So far, the information on the Omicron positive individual is that the person was fully vaccinated but had not had his booster shot yet. Presently he is suffering ‘mild symptoms’ not requiring hospitalization and is under self-quarantine and isolation. So far, all contacts of the individual have tested negative for Coronavirus and are under observation. The main symptoms of the Omicron variant are extreme fatigue, headache and generalized body aches.
The World Health Organization has identified Omicron variant as a ‘variant of concern’ as it poses a very high global risk. Omicron first identified in South Africa has since been detected in several countries, including now in the United States too. It is being emphasized by researchers and scientists across the globe that the Omicron variant is highly contagious and tends to spread rapidly. The only way to keep oneself protected is firstly to avoid travelling to South Africa, where thousands of people are already positive, practice social distancing in public places, continue to wear a mask and wash hands frequently. In addition to these, both the World Health Organization and the Center for Disease Control are encouraging everyone to get booster shots to acquire immunity to the new Omicron variant of the Coronavirus.
Health professionals continue to work hard round the clock to collect data, and determine how transmissible is the Omicron variant, which populations are more vulnerable, how severe are the symptoms in most positive cases, and how well do the current available vaccines work. Till the right answers are found, everyone needs to be very cautious and practice preventive measures against the virus. In regard to this, one precautionary step announced by the president of the United States has been restricted travel from South Africa and seven other countries and urging eligible people to get vaccinated against Covid-19 or get a booster shot as soon as possible.