The first known case of the omicron variant of the coronavirus in North Carolina has been identified.Mecklenburg County Public Health announced Friday afternoon that a University of North Carolina Charlotte student has received a positive test for the omicron variant. The case was identified through the university’s sequencing program, the health department shared in a tweet.The health department said the infected student was isolated and has recovered. Exposure was limited with only one known contact. University officials said the student traveled out of state during the Thanksgiving break.According to the Associated Press, more than 40 people in the U.S. have been found to be infected with the omicron variant so far, and more than three-quarters of them had been vaccinated, the chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, said the data is very limited and the agency is working on a more detailed analysis of what the new mutant form of the coronavirus might hold for the U.S.“What we generally know is the more mutations a variant has, the higher level you need your immunity to be. … We want to make sure we bolster everybody’s immunity. And that’s really what motivated the decision to expand our guidance,” Walensky said, referencing the recent approval of boosters for all adults.She said “the disease is mild” in almost all of the cases seen so far, with reported symptoms mainly cough, congestion and fatigue. One person was hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported, CDC officials said.
The first known case of the omicron variant of the coronavirus in North Carolina has been identified.
Mecklenburg County Public Health announced Friday afternoon that a University of North Carolina Charlotte student has received a positive test for the omicron variant.
The case was identified through the university’s sequencing program, the health department shared in a tweet.
The health department said the infected student was isolated and has recovered. Exposure was limited with only one known contact.
University officials said the student traveled out of state during the Thanksgiving break.
According to the Associated Press, more than 40 people in the U.S. have been found to be infected with the omicron variant so far, and more than three-quarters of them had been vaccinated, the chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, said the data is very limited and the agency is working on a more detailed analysis of what the new mutant form of the coronavirus might hold for the U.S.
“What we generally know is the more mutations a variant has, the higher level you need your immunity to be. … We want to make sure we bolster everybody’s immunity. And that’s really what motivated the decision to expand our guidance,” Walensky said, referencing the recent approval of boosters for all adults.
She said “the disease is mild” in almost all of the cases seen so far, with reported symptoms mainly cough, congestion and fatigue. One person was hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported, CDC officials said.