The first two cases of the omicron COVID-19 variant were detected in Ohio at Ohio State Saturday. Credit: Courtesy of the Wexner Medical Center
The first two cases of the omicron COVID-19 variant were confirmed in Ohio Saturday.
According to a press release from the Ohio Department of Health, two cases of omicron were found in central Ohio from positive PCR tests Tuesday.
“We have known that it would only be a matter of time until a case of Omicron was detected in Ohio,”ODH Director Bruce Vanderhoff said in the release. “The CDC believes that this variant has likely been circulating in the U.S. since November.“
Both of the people with cases of the omicron variant are experiencing mild symptoms. Both cases had received the first two doses of vaccines, but neither person had received a booster shot, the release stated.
University President Kristina M. Johnson said Dec. 1 the university meets weekly to discuss COVID-19 and developing scenarios around the variant.
Ohio State’s COVID-19 testing lab is sequencing all PCR tests for Ohio, and the omicron tests make up 0.2 percent of all positive tests. The other positives were the delta variant.
“While we will continue to learn more about Omicron in the days to come, early reports from South Africa suggest Omicron may be more contagious and more likely to reinfect people,” Vanderhoff said in the release. “The results of the early research regarding vaccines are encouraging, reinforcing the benefits of primary vaccination and timely boosters.”
