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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the United States on Wednesday announced its first confirmed case of the Covid-19 Omicron variant had been detected in California, in a fully vaccinated traveler who had recently returned from South Africa and was recovering from mild symptoms.
Top health official Anthony Fauci said authorities “knew it was just a matter of time” before the strain was found in the country, reminding Americans that vaccination, boosters and masking in indoor public settings remained the best way to stay protected.
According to a statement by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the person returned from South Africa on November 22, and their close contacts have all tested negative.
Read also: Nigeria Reports First Case Of Omicron COVID Variant
Speaking to reporters, Fauci added that the patient tested positive on November 29 and that they had not received a booster, to the best of his knowledge.
Some early press reports regarding the Omicron variant have suggested it might confer more mild illness, but Fauci cautioned reading too much into these until more hard data was available.
“We feel good that this patient not only had mild symptoms, but actually the symptoms appear to be improving,” he said.
“But as we said, there’s a lot of information that is now evolving out of countries like South Africa that have a much larger number of individuals” with the variant, he added.
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