Omicron Already Makes Up 13% Of NY And NJ COVID Cases: CDC

NEW YORK CITY — The omicron coronavirus variant could be much, much more prevalent in New York City than its 23 confirmed cases would indicate.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials estimated the highly contagious variant now represents 13 percent of COVID-19 cases in New York and New Jersey.

It only makes up about 3 percent of cases in the rest of the United States, the government said.

But there's a potential silver lining — Rochelle Walensky, who heads the CDC, said Tuesday on the "Today Show" that increasingly it appears the omicron variant causes less severe cases. She said there's still reason for concern.

"You still have a lot of people who are getting sick," she said, adding some of the most vulnerable people could experience severe COVID-related illness or death.

The CDC estimate was released as Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that New York State health officials confirmed 38 omicron cases across the state, with 23 in New York City.

The delta variant remains much more prevalent across the county, but cases involving the omicron variant have been trending upward nationwide in recent weeks, officials said.

Hochul said Tuesday that a “holiday surge” had started as it relates to new COVID-19 cases at a time when CDC officials expect that new cases involving the omicron variant are expected to pick up in coming weeks. New York started a statewide mask mandate as concerns over new cases continue.

Omicron cases have been detected in 33 states, which Walensky said indicates that it is quickly becoming the predominant strain as more cases emerge.