variant Omicron |
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New York State Governor Kathy Hochul said five cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus were identified in the state, a day after California officials confirmed the first case of the new variant in the United States. .
Main facts
- The state has identified one case in Suffolk County, one case in Brooklyn, two cases in Queens and another case in one of the New York City boroughs, Kathy Hochul told a conference. hurry.
- She clarified that the Suffolk County case is a 67-year-old woman who recently traveled from South Africa and initially tested negative after arriving in the United States, but who tested positive for five days. later.
- Hours earlier, Minnesota announced that a man who attended an animation convention in New York last month had tested positive for the variant. Kathy Hochul did not say whether the five New York cases were convention-related, but earlier today Thursday, she encouraged everyone who attended the Anime NYC 2021 convention to get tested.
- Kathy Hochul tweeted “there is no cause for alarm” and noted that some of the early cases of Omicron are not life threatening and appear to be “minor”, but she encourages people to continue to wear masks and do Covid-19 vaccines and reminders.
The context
The World Health Organization announced last week that it had identified a new variant of the coronavirus called Omicron, which was first spotted in South Africa. WHO has designated Omicron as a “variant of concern” because of preliminary evidence that it may increase the risk of reinfection and that it has a large number of mutations. The United States reported its first case of the Omicron variant on Wednesday, in a California resident who returned to the United States from South Africa in late November, and Minnesota and Colorado identified cases on Thursday. In response to the variant, President Joe Biden last week announced restrictions on air travel from southern African countries, and next week he will begin asking all international travelers entering the United States to do so. a Covid-19 test the day after their flight.
Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for New York last week. Under the declaration, hospitals with limited capacity will be able to limit non-emergency procedures, and the state will be able to obtain “essential supplies to combat the pandemic”. Kathy Hochul said at the time that the Omicron variant “Was coming” and that these preparations should allow “to increase the capacity of hospitals” for those who need it.
Article translated from Forbes US – Author: Kimberlee Speakman
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