The discovery in San Francisco County prompted the Biden administration to renew calls for everyone to get fully vaccinated and receive a booster, if eligible.
The Omicron coronavirus variant was reported in the United States for the first time on Wednesday in a traveler who had been in South Africa, as scientists around the world study whether the variant is more transmissible or virulent than its predecessors. The patient, a resident of San Francisco, is in isolation, and aggressive contact tracing is underway, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement. The person was fully vaccinated, though without a booster shot, and was displaying mild symptoms that were improving, the agency said. The discovery prompted the Biden administration to renew calls for everyone to get fully vaccinated and, if eligible, receive a booster. It also came as the C.D.C. asked airlines for the names and contact information of all passengers who had boarded flights bound for the United States since Nov.29 and who had been in southern Africa in the past two weeks. The World Health Organization has warned that the risk posed by the variant, which was first identified in South Africa on Thursday, is “very high.” More than 20 countries have detected the variant. California health officials said the state was increasing coronavirus testing at airports, focusing on arrivals from countries identified by the C.D.C. as potential sources of the variant. Gov. Gavin Newsom said that California would not be intensifying public health restrictions, at least in the short term, but that “we should assume that it’s in other states as well.” “There is no reason to panic, but we should remain vigilant,” he said in a statement. “The best thing we can do is to get vaccinated if you haven’t already, get your booster, and wear your mask indoors. As we continue to learn more about this variant, get tested if you have symptoms, and stay home if you’re sick.” On Thursday, President Biden is expected to announce ways the government will ramp up its fight against the virus during the winter months, including tougher international travel restrictions and efforts to accelerate vaccine and booster availability. Answers about whether Omicron is more contagious or deadly remain elusive as scientists around the globe race to map its attributes — including more mutations than the Delta variant — and seek to determine whether the vaccines will prove effective in protecting people from infection or serious hospitalization. Officials in South Africa have said that they do not know of any deaths associated with the variant, but health experts say it is too early to assess its true dangers. Still, Omicron’s emergence during the holiday season, as Americans prepared to gather with relatives, raised the grim prospect of yet another surge in a pandemic that has severely tested the patience of a weary public, caused unparalleled economic damage and stoked political division. Speaking to reporters shortly after the variant’s discovery was announced, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the president’s top medical adviser, expressed optimism that the United States would eventually emerge from the grip of the pandemic. “This will end,” he said. “I promise you that this will end.” Public health officials around the world have said for days that they expect the new, mutated form of the virus will quickly find its way to the United States despite the imposition of a travel ban by the Biden administration and other governments on international travelers from eight southern African nations late last month.
