Omicron detected in 17 states, with cases ‘likely to rise’

A person takes COVID-19 test at mobile testing site near Bryant Park on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021, in New York. The omicron variant of COVID-19, which had been undetected in the U.S. before the middle of this week, had been discovered in at least five states by the end of Thursday, showing yet again how mutations of the virus can circumnavigate the globe with speed and ease. | Yuki Iwamura, Associated Press

Many states have detected cases of the omicron variant

Travel restrictions can delay the spread of a virus by only a few days, studies show. Now, 40 countries have identified cases of the omicron variant, including — Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Saudi Arabia and more, per Forbes.

According to The New York Times Omicron tracker, the variant, discovered by South African researchers during the Thanksgiving holiday break, has also spread to 17 states in the U.S. as of Sunday. The first case was detected in California on Dec. 1. A few days later, the first case was discovered in Utah, per the Deseret News.

States the variant has been detected in

1. California
2. Colorado
3. Connecticut
4. Georgia
5. Hawaii
6. Louisiana
7. Maryland
8. Massachusetts
9. Minnesota
10. Missouri
11. Nebraska
12. New Jersey
13. New York
14. Pennsylvania
15. Utah
16. Washington
17. Wisconsin

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said, “we know we have several dozen cases and we’re following them closely. And we are every day hearing about more and more probable cases so that number is likely to rise,” per ABC News.

• The transmissibility of the virus and the effectiveness of the vaccine are still unclear, she added.
• “I do think that getting a lot of immunity right now will be critically important, masking up right now,” Walensky said. “Doing all of those things will help prevent a more aggressive Omicron surge.”