How Prevalent Omicron Variant Is In PA, Local Region: CDC

PENNSYLVANIA — The omicron coronavirus variant is likely more prevalent in Pennsylvania than its single confirmed case would suggest. But it also appears that it is not yet nearly as advanced in Pennsylvania and some of the local region it is elsewhere.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials estimated the highly contagious variant now represents about 0.5 percent of all COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania and several other nearby states, including Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington D.C.

However, it seems to have a much more notable presence in nearby New Jersey and New York, where the CDC estimates it represents 13 percent of all cases already.

Nationwide, the variant represents 3 percent of all cases.

More than 99 percent of COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania are still the delta variant, the Department of Health says. The delta variant remains much more prevalent across the rest of the country too, but cases involving the omicron variant have been trending upward nationwide in recent weeks, officials said.

Should omicron take hold in the state, however, there is a silver lining. Thought it's highly contagious, 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.

Pennsylvania confirmed its first case of the variant in a Philadelphia resident weeks ago. Genetic sequencing in laboratories around the state is underway to confirm further cases.

The arrival of the variant comes as Pennsylvania handles a winter surge in both total cases and hospitalizations, which has stressed healthcare systems around the state. The Department of Health says they are tracking the new variant closely, particularly in relation to cases amongst fully vaccinated individuals.

"We know that if the incidence or severity of post-vaccination cases increases significantly, this could be a signal of reduced protection against a variant," Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said Tuesday.

Vaccinations are still seen as the chief defense mechanism.

“COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective for preventing hospitalizations and deaths, even as more post-vaccination cases occur in the context of more transmissible variants and more residents getting vaccinated,” Beam added.

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

With reporting from Patch correspondent Jeff Arnold