EFE – The United States confirmed this Wednesday the first case in its territory of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, which has been detected in California.
This was pointed out this Wednesday by the main epidemiologist of the US Government, Anthony Fauci, at a press conference at the White House, where he explained that this case corresponds to an individual who returned to the US from South Africa on November 22.
That person tested positive for covid-19 on the 29th.
“The individual was fully vaccinated and has experienced mild symptoms, which are improving,” said Fauci, adding that, according to the information available to him, that person had not yet received the booster dose.
At the moment, the patient is under quarantine at home and all close contacts of him have been notified and have tested negative for covid.
Genomic sequencing of the case was carried out by the University of California, San Francisco.
Fauci remarked that it is the first case of the Omicron variant detected on US soil, found for the first time in South Africa.
“We knew it was a matter of time before the first omicron case was detected in the US,” Fauci said.
Faced with the expansion of Omicron, President Joe Biden plans to enact stricter rules for all travelers arriving in the country, including returning Americans.
New travel restrictions might come soon
This was reported on Tuesday by The Washington Post, which explained that the US will require all people who enter its territory to take a test one day before boarding their flight, regardless of their vaccination status or country of residence. Exit.
In addition, travelers could be retested within three to five days after arriving in the United States, according to the capital newspaper, which cited three federal health officials.
In this sense, Fauci stressed that everyone who enters the US will have to take a 24-hour test before getting on the plane.
Once inside the country, Biden’s chief medical adviser said travelers will be advised to quarantine and undergo a new covid test three days after arrival.
