1st U.S. Omicron Variant Case Detected In California

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — A person in California was the first in the U.S. to test positive for the omicron variant of the coronavirus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday morning.

The patient was fully vaccinated and had returned from South Africa on Nov. 22, the San Francisco Department of Health said. Genomic sequencing was conducted at the University of California, San Francisco, and the CDC later confirmed it as the omicron variant.

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"California's large-scale testing and early detection systems have found the omicron COVID-19 variant in California. We should assume that it's in other states as well," Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday morning. "There's no reason to panic — but we should remain vigilant."

Last week, President Joe Biden's administration swiftly curtailed travel to the U.S. from southern Africa, where the variant was first identified and was widespread. Clusters of cases were also identified in about two dozen nations, including Canada and several countries in Europe.

READ MORE: Omicron Unlikely To Trigger Lockdowns In Los Angeles County

"The individual is self-quarantining, and all close contacts have been contacted, and all close contacts, thus far, have tested negative," the White House's chief medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said Wednesday, according to media reports. "The individual was fully vaccinated and experienced mild symptoms, which are improving at this point. So this is the first confirmed case of COVID-19 caused by the omicron variant detected in the United States."

Much mystery surrounds the newly identified variant, which was dubbed a "variant of concern" by the World Health Organization on Friday.

"This variant is a cause for concern, not a cause for panic," Biden said earlier this week.

The announcement of the first U.S. case came as Biden planned to outline his strategy on Thursday to combat the coronavirus over the winter.

The uncertainty that surrounds the variant loomed over progress in scaling back transmission.

"I know, America, you're really tired about hearing those things, but the virus is not tired of us," Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, said on Sunday, according to The New York Times. "And it's shape-shifting itself."

White House officials said Sunday it could take "two more weeks to have more definitive information on the transmissibility, severity and other characteristics of the variant."

On the same day, Fauci told ABC that the variant appeared to be more transmissible than other variants.

"It has the molecular characteristics that would strongly suggest that it would be more transmissible," Fauci said, adding that the variant has "a disturbingly large number of mutations."

Little is known about the variant so far, but Fauci told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday that it could "evade some of the protection of monoclonal antibodies and convalescent plasma and perhaps even antibodies that are induced by vaccine."

But Fauci added that he didn't think there was any possibility the variant would completely evade protection from current vaccines.

Biden, Newsom and public health officials have ramped up efforts to get more Americans inoculated and to get those who have been vaccinated to get booster shots to maximize their protection against the virus.

Vaccine protection "may diminish it a bit, but that's the reason why you boost," Fauci said earlier this week.

Based on the possibility that mutations in omicron could evade an immune response and boost its ability to be transmitted among people, "the likelihood of potential further spread of omicron at the global level is high," WHO said.

"Depending on these characteristics, there could be future surges of COVID-19, which could have severe consequences, depending on a number of factors including where surges may take place," it added. "The overall global risk related to the new VOC Omicron is assessed as very high."

In response to the dire warning, California officials urged anyone at least 5 years old who has not been vaccinated to get vaccinated and those who had their last shot at least six months ago to get a booster shot.

"We are doubling down on our vaccination and booster efforts to ensure that all Californians have access to safe, effective, and free vaccines that can prevent serious illness and death," state public health Director Tomás Aragón said in a statement.

READ MORE: Omicron Looms Over CA: 5 Things To Know