NEW JERSEY – New Jersey health officials confirmed the state’s first case of the Omicron variant Friday night in a fully vaccinated traveler, Gov. Phil Murphy announced.
The Garden State appears to be the 10th in the country to detect the new variant after five cases discovered in New York City and Long Island. The governors of all three states have said it was only a matter of time before the new strain of the virus was detected in their states.
The traveler, Murphy said, is a fully vaccinated Georgian woman who recently traveled to South Africa. She has been in isolation since testing positive Nov. 28, the governor said.
“We are still learning about the Omicron variant, but we have tools to stop the spread of the virus, the most important of which is to get vaccinated and receive a booster dose. The public should continue to be masked, get tested for symptoms, physically distance themselves, avoid crowded events, stay home when sick and wash their hands frequently, “said State Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli.
Five cases of that newer variant have been reported so far, first identified in South Africa late last month in New York State, and Hochul and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, jointly made the announcement hours after news broke that a vaccinated Minnesota man who attended the two-day Anime NYC convention at the Javits Center a few weeks ago received COVID and tests showed it was omicron. .
What health officials know so far about the Omicron variant cases discovered in New York City and Long Island currently “is no cause for alarm” given the lack of scientific evidence surrounding it thus far, according to Hochul.
She says it’s the still ubiquitous delta variant that people, especially unvaccinated ones, should be concerned about as the world awaits more data on whether Omicron could be more lethal, transmissible and pose a higher risk of reinfection than previous strains.
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