This note was translated into Spanish and edited for brevity from a English Version.
The first Nevada case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has been detected in Clark County, Southern Nevada Health District officials reported Tuesday afternoon.
The case was identified in a fully vaccinated woman in her 20s who had not received a booster dose of the vaccine.
Health officials said the sample was analyzed by the Southern Nevada Public Health Laboratory, which is monitoring positive cases in the community for additional cases of the variant.
“We knew it was only a matter of time before we would identify the Omicron variant in southern Nevada,” Dr. Fermin Leguen, the district’s health officer, said in a statement.
Omicron variant cases have now been identified in more than half of the states, with California registering the first case in the nation on December 1.
Health district officials noted that the Delta variant, which arrived in Nevada for the first time this summer, remains the predominant variant in Clark County and the United States.
To combat the Omicron and Delta variants, state and local health officials are urging people to get fully vaccinated – that is, two doses of the vaccines. Pfizer o Modern, or a dose of the vaccine Johnson and Johnson; as well as receiving their booster shot when eligible. They also continue to emphasize wearing masks in indoor public settings, staying home, and getting tested if you’re sick.
Scientists are still working to learn more about Omicron, which was classified as a variant of concern by the World Health Organization on November 26. Up to now, preliminary evidence has suggested that it may be more resistant to the vaccine, but it can cause less severe cases of COVID.
Pfizer-BioNTech advertisement last week that while the initial two-dose course of the vaccine may not prevent Omicron variant infection, the booster shot appears to provide strong protection.
Read more about our coverage here about the pandemic. Too you can find here the most recent COVID-19 data in Nevada.
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