Gov. Newsom Says Omicron Variant Won’t Spark Another California Shutdown

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP/CBS13) — Gov. Gavin Newsom connected Wednesday said confirmation of the archetypal U.S. lawsuit of the COVID-19 omicron variant successful California was not surprising, urging residents to “remain vigilant” and said determination shouldn’t beryllium different shutdown heading into the holidays.

State wellness officials said they are expanding COVID-19 investigating astatine California’s airports for arrivals from countries identified by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention arsenic being areas wherever the recently identified variant is spreading. But different Newsom said helium does not expect that the astir populous authorities volition enforce different stay-at-home bid oregon different caller restrictions.

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“Look, I’m assured if we proceed to bash what we’ve done, which is proceed to beryllium successful the apical 10 successful presumption of the lowest lawsuit rates and connected the highest vaccination rates, connected the lowest positivity rate, that won’t beryllium an issue,” helium said during a sojourn to Merced County successful the Central Valley to beforehand vaccinations and booster shots.

Newsom imposed the nation’s archetypal statewide stay-home bid successful March 2020. In September, helium handily defeated an effort to callback him that was spurred by vexation with his restrictions designed to dilatory the virus’s spread.

“CA’s large-scale investigating and aboriginal detection systems person recovered the Omicron COVID-19 variant successful California. We should presume that it’s successful different states arsenic well. There’s nary crushed to panic–but we should stay vigilant. That means get vaccinated. Get boosted. Wear a disguise indoors,” Newsom tweeted Wednesday.

CA’s large-scale investigating and aboriginal detection systems person recovered the Omicron COVID-19 variant successful California. We should presume that it’s successful different states arsenic well.

There’s nary crushed to panic–but we should stay vigilant. That means get vaccinated. Get boosted. Wear a disguise indoors.

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) December 1, 2021

California wellness officials said the archetypal U.S. lawsuit of the omicron variant was identified successful a San Francisco nonmigratory who had precocious traveled to South Africa and developed symptoms aft returning, San Francisco wellness manager Grant Colfax said.

The idiosyncratic returned connected Nov. 22, developed mild symptoms and tested affirmative for COVID-19 connected Monday. Researchers astatine the University of California, San Francisco obtained a illustration from the diligent Tuesday evening and worked overnight to place the variant done familial sequencing.

State and section wellness officials refused to supply galore details astir the person, citing privateness concerns, but Newsom said the idiosyncratic is betwixt the ages of 18 and 49. The patient, who developed insignificant symptoms and wasn’t hospitalized, was afloat vaccinated but hadn’t gotten a booster due to the fact that the past changeable was excessively recent, Newsom said.

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State wellness officials said they are continuing to show the variant’s beingness and advancement done California’s existing genome sequencing surveillance process.

California’s wellness secretary, Dr. Mark Ghaly, said the information the infected idiosyncratic was vaccinated mightiness origin immoderate to question the vaccines’ effectiveness, peculiarly against the precocious discovered variant.

“We’ve been talking for months astir the information that vaccinations bash 1 really, truly important thing: support against terrible disease, against hospitalization and death,” helium said. “And the grounds that an idiosyncratic with omicron … really has mild symptoms, is improving, is simply a grounds to the value of the vaccinations.”

Ghaly said radical tin expect to spot much cases successful California. “That’s wherefore we request to support our defender up,” helium said.

State wellness officials urged radical to proceed with the aforesaid precautions they person been promoting each along: Get the vaccine and a booster shot; deterioration masks indoors successful public; get tested if symptoms develop; and enactment location if feeling sick.

California experienced its worst surge of cases during past year’s vacation season. Cases astir precocious spiked successful precocious summertime and past fell swiftly until mostly plateauing. About 3,200 radical are hospitalized, less than fractional than 3 months ago.

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