A day after federal health officials confirmed the first case of the omicron variant in the United States, a resident of Minnesota who had recently traveled to New York City tested positive for the new variant, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC announced in an email Thursday that “the individual traveled to New York City and attended the Anime NYC 2021 convention at the Javits Center from November 19-21, 2021.” The second U.S. case is being investigated by the Minnesota Department of Health and the New York City Department of Health, the CDC added.
The Minnesota man infected with omicron had been vaccinated and developed mild symptoms on Nov. 22 that have resolved, according to a press release Thursday from the Minnesota Department of Health.
Omicron was classified by the World Health Organization as a variant of concern last week and scientists are still conducting studies on vaccine effectiveness.
“CDC has been actively monitoring and preparing for this variant. We have been working closely with Minnesota’s Department of Health and will continue to work diligently with other U.S. and global public health and industry partners as we learn more,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, CDC director, said in a written statement Thursday.
She continued: “CDC has expanded its capacity for genomic sequencing over the past nine months and we have more tools to fight the variant than we had at this time last year from vaccines to boosters to the prevention strategies that we know work including masking in indoor public settings, washing your hands frequently and physical distancing. These methods work to prevent the spread of COVID-19, no matter the genetic sequence.”
Studies are underway by scientists to see whether omicron is more contagious than other variants and able to evade immunity from current vaccines, according a report from The New York Times.
The second case of the omicron variant is likely to spur concerns in New York, where Gov. Kathy Hochul is monitoring the situation.
Meanwhile, regarding issues of transparency related to the public during the pandemic, the Florida Department of Health stated this week that the “CDC is the lead agency for all variant surveillance in the United States, and they will distribute any updates on the omicron variant.”
That phrase suggested that the Florida health department would not provide information about variants to the public — residents would have to go to federal health officials to get info.
Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried told the Florida Phoenix in an email Thursday that she’d lead efforts to inform residents about potential cases of the new variant, as state health officials have directed the CDC to provide updates.
“It is not just unfortunate but dangerous that the governor and his Department of Health continue to shirk their responsibility to provide timely public health information directly to Floridians throughout the pandemic,” Fried said in an email Thursday to the Phoenix. Fried, a Democrat, is a gubernatorial candidate for 2022.
Fried continued: “Knowledge is power, which is why I stepped up to provide regular COVID-19 updates during the Delta surge as the Governor’s failure of leadership created an information void. Should we find ourselves in a similar situation with omicron, as an independently elected member of the Florida Cabinet and statewide official, I will once again step up to fill that leadership and information void for my fellow Floridians.”
More to come.
from Daily Florida Press https://dailyfloridapress.com/second-case-of-omicron-variant-detected-in-u-s-minnesota-man-attended-convention-in-nyc/
No comments:
Post a Comment