The coronavirus omicron variant has reportedly spread coast to coast to at least five states in total.
The newly mutated variant has now been detected in California, New York, Colorado, Minnesota, and Hawaii, USA Today reported.
“Let me be clear: This is not cause for alarm. We knew this variant was coming and we have the tools to stop the spread,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul tweeted. “Get your vaccine. Get your booster. Wear your mask.”
The variant reportedly spread to Minnesota from a man who attended a convention in New York City, the city’s health commissioner, Dr. Dave Chokshi, said. Minnesota health officials, meanwhile, noted the man had not traveled overseas. “It’s most likely that transmission of the virus happened at the convention,” USA Today said.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz stated Thursday the news of the variant reaching the midwest is “concerning” but not a “surprise.”
“Today, those tools detected a case of the Omicron variant in Minnesota,” Walz said. “This news is concerning, but it is not a surprise. We know that this virus is highly infectious and moves quickly throughout the world.”
The variant also reached Colorado on Thursday, the Denver Post reported. State health officials said the case occurred in a vaccinated woman who had traveled to South Africa. The woman reportedly has mild systems and is recovering.
Hawaii News Now reported the variant has reached the middle of the Pacific Ocean on Thursday. The variant reportedly infected an unvaccinated resident who “has no history of travel outside the state.”
The variant was thought to be first discovered in South Africa, but European health officials stated this week it was present in Europe before being identified in South Africa.
The day after the variant was discovered last week, President Biden issued a ban on travel from eight African countries. Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday he is considering forcing incoming travelers in the United States to quarantine for a week.
President Joe Biden speaks in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus, Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021, in Washington. Biden is set to kick of more urgent campaign for Americans to get COVID-19 booster shots on Dec. 2, as he unveils a his winter plans to combat the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
When Fauci was asked by a Fox News reporter if the same protections would be applied to illegal aliens flooding the southern border, he claimed “that’s a different issue.”
In 2020, Biden promised to “shut down the virus.” Yet the New York Times reported in November the U.S. has suffered more coronavirus deaths under Biden than under former President Donald Trump, despite vaccine availability.
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