US reports first Omicron case in South Africa returnee; Americans urged to get vaccinated

The first case of new COVID variant Omicron in the United States has been detected in California, informed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday. According to a press release, the CDC said that the California Department of Public Health and San Francisco Department of Public Health confirmed the case in a traveller who returned from South Africa on 22 November. The person, who was fully vaccinated against the deadly virus, developed symptoms a few days after arriving in the US and got tested on Monday. 

“The individual had mild symptoms that are improving, is self-quarantining and has been since testing positive. All close contacts have been contacted and have tested negative,” the CDC statement read. 

Following the detection of the first US case of the Omicron variant, Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, Anthony Fauci, urged Americans to get vaccinated or boosted against the new strain. Speaking to reporters at the White House, 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 for more than six months with an mRNA or two months with [Johnson & Johnson].” Separately, Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, said that vaccinations do a “really important thing: protect against severe disease, against hospitalisation and death”. 

‘Cause of concern, not a cause for panic’ 

Meanwhile, it is to mention that at least 23 countries have now reported Omicron infections, according to the WHO. US President Joe Biden has called the new strain “a cause of concern, not a cause for panic”. The Biden administration has also moved to restrict travel from southern Africa, where the variant was first identified. 

Additionally, the US CDC is moving to tighten US testing rules for travellers from overseas. According to The Guardian, it is also considering mandating post-arrival testing. Officials have said that these measures would only “buy time” for the nation to learn more about the new strain and take appropriate precautions. 

The Omicron strain has a high number of mutations that suggest that it could spread just as or more easily than the Delta variant. Scientists have cautioned that it is still unclear whether Omicron is more dangerous than other variants that have killed over five million people worldwide. Moreover, it is also unknown how well the existing COVID-19 vaccines and treatments would work against the strain. 

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