COVID-19 omicron variant identified in Yolo County, health officials say – KCRA Sacramento

The first known case of the COVID-19 omicron variant was discovered in Yolo County, health officials announced Thursday.Positive COVID-19 tests from Healthy Davis Together are screened by the UC Davis Genome Center for all known variants of concern.Officials said the person who tested positive for the omicron variant is in isolation and contact tracing has begun.The person is a West Sacramento adult with recent domestic travel, and was vaccinated against COVID-19, health officials said. Their condition is not known.”The detection of the potentially highly transmissible Omicron variant is concerning, especially with more people traveling and visiting with friends and family for the holidays,” said Dr. Aimee Sisson, Yolo County Public Health Officer.”There is still a lot we don’t know about the Omicron variant, but this detection is a reminder that we must remain vigilant in using the tools we have to protect ourselves against Delta and Omicron, including vaccination, boosters, testing and following local guidance on mask-wearing,” Sisson said.Low concentrations of the omicron variant were discovered in wastewater last week in Sacramento County.Experts are cautiously optimistic that the omicron variant may lead to fewer deaths than the delta variant. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, said that scientists need more information before drawing conclusions about the variant’s severity.Reports from South Africa, where it emerged and is becoming the dominant strain, suggest that hospitalization rates have not increased alarmingly.