Omicron Covid variant: New York reported five cases of the new Omicron Covid variant.
New York:
Governor Kathy Hochul said Thursday that New York state has confirmed five cases of the Omicron version of the coronavirus, bringing the total number of the new strain to eight.
“New York State has confirmed five cases of the Omicron variant,” Hochul said in a Twitter post intended to reassure residents of the nation’s fourth-most populous state.
“Let me be clear: this is not a cause for alarm. We knew this version was coming and we have the tools to stop the spread,” she said.
“Get your vaccine. Get your booster. Wear your mask.”
It was not immediately clear whether the new cases were in or near New York City – the country’s most populous metropolitan area – and whether they were found in people who had recently returned from traveling outside the country.
Eight cases have been confirmed in the United States so far, at least one in Minnesota, including a person with no recent international travel history, indicating tensions are already swirling inside the country.
Hochul’s figures followed President Joe Biden’s announcement that he was strengthening his administration’s campaign against COVID-19 as the winter took hold.
The new measures require all inbound international passengers to be tested within a day of flight, and extend the mask requirement on public transport until mid-March.
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