COVID Omicron Variant Detected In Vaccinated Minnesotan Who Traveled To NYC Anime Convention

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — The Minnesota Department of Health has confirmed that the COVID-19 Omicron variant has been detected for the archetypal clip successful the state. It’s the 2nd confirmed lawsuit of the variant successful the country.

On Thursday, MDH said its Public Health Laboratory recovered the variant successful a specimen from a Minnesota nonmigratory who precocious traveled to New York City. The idiosyncratic is simply a antheral who lives successful Hennepin County, and had been vaccinated.

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The diligent said helium traveled to New York City and attended the Anime NYC 2021 normal astatine the Javits Center from Nov. 19 done Nov. 21. He developed “mild symptoms” the time pursuing the lawsuit and sought investigating connected Nov. 24. His symptoms person since resolved.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul spoke Thursday, urging everyone who attended the Anime league to get tested. She says the authorities has a database of each attendees and tin interaction them. There person been nary confirmed cases successful New York yet.

In a property league pursuing the announcement, Minnesota Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said that the Minnesotan who tested affirmative for the Omicron variant was vaccinated much than six months ago, and had received a booster changeable successful aboriginal November.

He has been advised to isolate from others.

Malcolm said the caller uncovering successful Minnesota underscores the value of limiting the dispersed of COVID-19.

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“We inactive person much to larn astir Omicron, but the astir important happening we tin bash close present is to usage the tools we person disposable to marque it arsenic hard arsenic imaginable for this microorganism to spread,” Malcolm said. “In summation to vaccination and boosters, we tin dilatory the dispersed of this variant and each COVID-19 variants by utilizing the tried-and-true prevention methods of wearing masks, staying location erstwhile sick, and getting tested erstwhile appropriate.”

State officials accidental the variant lawsuit was recovered done the MDH’s variant surveillance program.

“Since the opening of this pandemic, Minnesota’s nation-leading genome sequencing infrastructure and beardown investigating web person allowed the authorities to rapidly way the COVID-19 microorganism and amended recognize its spread. Today, those tools detected a lawsuit of the Omicron variant successful Minnesota,” Gov. Tim Walz said. “This quality is concerning, but it is not a surprise. We cognize that this microorganism is highly infectious and moves rapidly passim the world. Minnesotans cognize what to bash to support each different harmless present — get the vaccine, get tested, deterioration a disguise indoors, and get a booster. Together, we tin combat this microorganism and assistance support Minnesotans safe.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a connection connected the confirmed lawsuit successful Minnesota, saying they are moving with some MDH and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

“CDC has been actively monitoring and preparing for this variant,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said. “We person been moving intimately with Minnesota’s Department of Health and volition proceed to enactment diligently with different U.S. and planetary nationalist wellness and manufacture partners arsenic we larn more. CDC has expanded its capableness for genomic sequencing implicit the past 9 months and we person much tools to combat the variant than we had astatine this clip past twelvemonth from vaccines to boosters to the prevention strategies that we cognize enactment including masking successful indoor nationalist settings, washing your hands often and carnal distancing. These methods enactment to forestall the dispersed of COVID-19, nary substance the familial sequence.”

The quality comes a time aft national officials confirmed the archetypal lawsuit of the variant detected successful the United States, in California.

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The Omicron variant, which was archetypal detected successful South Africa, is emerging amid the engaged vacation question season. According to car nine AAA, implicit 53 cardinal Americans were estimated to person traveled for the Thanksgiving holiday, an summation from past year.