A college student who traveled to the East Coast for the Thanksgiving holiday has been confirmed as Los Angeles County’s second known case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, prompting a renewed call for people who traveled internationally or to areas with high virus transmission rates to get tested.
The latest Omicron variant patient is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, had mild symptoms and is in isolation, according to the county Department of Public Health. The agency indicated that based on the person’s travel history, “it is likely that the infection was acquired outside of Los Angeles County.”
The person’s close contacts have been identified, and all are being tested and placed in quarantine.
The Omicron variant was first detected in South Africa, and it has now spread to dozens of other countries, and multiple U.S. states. The first U.S. case was confirmed Wednesday in San Francisco, and Los Angeles County confirmed its first case last Thursday.
That patient is a Los Angeles County resident who returned to the area Nov. 22 after traveling to South Africa via London. The infection was also deemed to be “most likely travel related.”
The unidentified patient is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and has symptoms that are improving, health officials said. The person’s close contacts have all tested negative for the virus.
It is still unclear if the Omicron variant is more highly transmissible than other forms of the virus, or if it causes more severe illness or can evade the protection offered by current vaccines. But its rapid spread in South Africa has raised alarms, particularly ahead of the winter holiday season and accompanying travel and gatherings.
“While we are still determining the transmissibility and the severity of Omicron, I encourage residents and travelers to take additional steps to protect yourself and those around you by getting vaccinated or boosters, tested if you feel sick or are a close contact, and wearing your mask,” county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement. “Layering on as many protections as possible will give us a better opportunity to slow the spread of this potentially dangerous variant as we prepare for holiday gatherings and a potential winter surge.”