Omicron Covid Variant: The first case of Omicron variant of Covid-19 has been reported in the US. (file)
Washington:
The United States announced on Wednesday that its first confirmed case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 was detected in California, a fully vaccinated traveler who had recently returned from South Africa and was recovering from mild symptoms. .
Top health official Anthony Fauci said officials knew “it was just a matter of time” before the strain was found in the country, reminding Americans that vaccinations, boosters and masking in indoor public settings are the best ways to stay protected. Is.
The man had returned from South Africa on November 22, and his close contacts have all tested negative, according to a statement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Speaking to reporters, Fauci said that the patient tested positive on November 29, and to the best of his knowledge, he did not receive a booster.
Some early press reports about the Omicron version suggested it might provide more mild illness, but Fauci cautioned against reading too much of these until more hard data is available.
“We love that this patient not only had mild symptoms, but actually the symptoms seem to be improving,” he said.
“But as we said, there is a lot of information that is now developing from countries like South Africa, which have a very high number of individuals”, he said.
More such data should follow in the coming weeks and months.
While the person involved was fully vaccinated, Fauci stressed that a COVID booster is a good idea because it increases the overall number of antibodies in a person’s immune system, some of which will be effective in preventing new variants. .
“Our experience with variants like the delta variant is that even though the vaccine is not specifically targeted for the delta variant, when you get a high level of immune response, you get spillover protection,” he said.
Fauci also defended the travel ban imposed by the US on southern African countries, which UN chief Antonio Guterres called “unfair” and “ineffective”.
“We need to buy some time to be able to prepare, understand what’s going on,” he said.
“We wanted to make sure we didn’t suddenly say it’s like something else, don’t worry about it, and then all of a sudden, something appears in front of you that you’re not really ready for. So We see this as a temporary measure.”
To prepare for Omicron, the US is planning tougher test and weight quarantine requirements for international travelers arriving in the country, including taking a COVID-19 test the day before departure, the CDC said on Wednesday.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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