Omicron: What To Know About Los Angeles County's First Case

LOS ANGELES, CA — Los Angeles County recorded its first case of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, but it's unlikely to be the only case, health officials warned.

Via London, the patient had recently traveled from South Africa where the variant was first detected. The unidentified person is believed to have traveled while infected. Multiple countries have now confirmed cases of Omicron among travelers on flights out of South Africa in late November.

Like the state's first case discovered in Northern California earlier this week, the infected person is vaccinated and experiencing mild symptoms, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. It was unclear if the person had received their booster shot. In the Northern California case, the infected person did not have their booster.

In the Los Angeles case, the patient had traveled on Nov. 22, and their infection was confirmed Dec. 2. The person is now recovering in isolation at home in Los Angeles County, health officials said. The person's symptoms "are improving without medical care." The person had a "small number" of close contacts in the Los Angeles area, and those people have been identified, and, so far, all have tested negative for the virus, officials said.

Omicron is the most heavily mutated variant of COVID-19 identified to date, and scientists suspect it could more transmissible. Since its discovery in South Africa, the country has confirmed a sharp increase in the number of Omicron cases, suggesting it does spread easily. However, a clear picture won't emerge for at least a couple weeks of just how transmissible, severe or antibody-resistant the variant may be. In South Africa, mild cases are spreading primarily among young people, a segment of the population with low vaccination rates.

"There's lots of reasons for optimism that this is not some horrible situation that we're in. The vaccines should hold up against severe disease, especially with people who are boosted," Dr. Eric Topol, founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, told CNBC.

In Los Angeles, health officials have been ready for this day.

"Throughout the pandemic, we have always known there would be more mutations, resulting in the possibility of a more dangerous variant than the Delta variant," Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement. "While we can't know for certain the impact of Omicron at this time, the good news is that we already know how to reduce transmission and slow spread using both pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical interventions.

"I encourage everyone to take the steps that we know offer protection, including getting vaccinated or boosted, testing if you fell sick or are a close contact, and wearing your mask indoors and at large mega events."

It's still unknown if the Omicron variant is more transmissible than other COVID strains, or if it causes more serious illness or can evade protections of current vaccines. The variant, however, is blamed for a rapid spike in cases in South Africa.

One day after confirming the county's first case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, a rapid-testing site opened at Los Angeles International Airport Friday offering free -- but voluntary -- COVID tests for arriving international passengers.

The COVID testing at the Tom Bradley International Terminal is being offered strictly on a voluntary basis, since there is no federal requirement for inbound passengers to be tested.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis said in a statement she was "grateful" for the local testing capabilities that quickly identified the local Omicron patient.

"We are fortunate to have a significant infrastructure in place that is ready to respond, including widespread and accessible vaccinations, a masking requirement indoors and at outdoor mega events, and instituting vaccine verification at high-risk areas," Solis said. "I strongly encourage all Los Angeles County residents to get vaccinated, and when eligible, get a booster immediately. This will help provide us with greater protection in the community and slow the spread of COVID-19 and all of its variants."

The county on Friday reported another 17 deaths due to COVID-19, raising the overall death toll to 27,225.

Another 1,942 cases were reported, giving the county a pandemic total of 1,532,430. The rolling average daily rate of people testing positive for the virus was 1% as of Friday.

According to state figures, there were 572 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Los Angeles County as of Friday, up slightly from 569 on Thursday. The number of those patients in intensive care was 145, down from 152 a day earlier.

According to the latest county figures, of the more than 6.1 million fully vaccinated people in the county, 80,445 have tested positive, or about 1.32%. A total of 2,680 vaccinated people have been hospitalized, for a rate of 0.044%, and 503 have died, for a rate of 0.008%.

So far, 83% of county residents aged 12 and over have received at least one dose of vaccine, and 74% are fully vaccinated. Of all eligible residents aged 5 and over, 76% have received at least one dose, and 68% are fully vaccinated.

City News Service and Patch Staffer contributed to this report.