A California resident is the first person in the U.S. to test positive for the coronavirus omicron variant, the California and San Francisco departments of public health and the CDC confirmed Wednesday. This news comes after 24 countries have identified at least one case of the variant.
The San Franciscan returned from South Africa on Nov. 22 and tested positive on Nov. 29, Chief Medical Advisor to the President of the United States Dr. Anthony Fauci said in a press briefing. The individual, who experienced mild symptoms, was vaccinated but had not yet received 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.
The Biden administration implemented a travel ban from South Africa and seven other African countries in response to their reporting of the variant, though it was detected in Europe beforehand.
The World Health Organization (WHO) designated omicron as a “variant of concern” that poses a “very high” global risk, according to AP News. It has not yet been confirmed if the variant is more transmissible or causes more severe illness, according to the WHO.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said in a Tweet Wednesday that “There’s no reason to panic--but we should remain vigilant. That means get vaccinated. Get boosted. Wear a mask indoors.”
President Biden is scheduled to release a plan Thursday to reduce the spread of COVID-19 during winter.