The first case in the United States of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant was confirmed in a person in California, according to a news release from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The person had traveled to South Africa and returned to the U.S. on November 22, 2021. The person, “who was fully vaccinated has mild symptoms that are improving, is self-quarantining and has been since testing positive. All close contacts have been contacted and have tested negative,” the CDC said.
The case was confirmed by the California and San Francisco departments of public health.
Genomic sequencing was conducted at the University of California, San Francisco.
On November 26, 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified a new variant, B.1.1.529, as a variant of concern and named it Omicron and on November 30, 2021, the United States also classified it as a variant of concern, the CDC said.
