The new omicron coronavirus variant has been found in at least 10 U.S. states a little over a week after the strain was discovered in southern Africa.
The variant has been found in Maryland, Utah, Missouri, Pennsylvania, New York, Colorado, Minnesota, California, Hawaii and Nebraska.
It is likely the new variant is in other states as well, as the U.S. continues to conduct tests.
The first case was discovered Wednesday in California, in a person who recently traveled to South Africa.
New York has the most omicron cases discovered so far, with five announced on Thursday by Gov. Kathy HochulKathy HochulFive omicron cases detected in New York Minnesota confirms US’s second omicron case The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook – The omicron threat and Biden’s plan to beat it MORE (D).
Scientists are still working to answer many questions about the new variant, including how transmissible it is and how effective the vaccines are against it.
Omicron has caused panic around the world due to the more than 30 different mutations it has compared to previous coronavirus strains.
Many countries, including the U.S., have put travel bans in place from southern African countries to try to mitigate the spread of Omicron. But omicron has been found in dozens of countries around the world despite travel bans and new flight restrictions put in place.
The World Health Organization and some scientists have condemned the travel bans, saying they are harmful and unproductive.
President Biden
Joe BidenManchin to vote to nix Biden’s vaccine mandate for larger businesses Congress averts shutdown after vaccine mandate fight Senate cuts deal to clear government funding bill MORE has indicated the U.S. will not go back into lockdowns due to the omicron variant and instead focus on the vaccination campaign.