Five cases of the COVID-19 omicron variant have been detected in the New York City area, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday evening.
Hochul said they account for the only five known cases in the state thus far and include one in Brooklyn, two in Queens and one in Long Island’s Suffolk County. A fifth was pegged to “New York City” by the officials but without a more precise location.
The Long Island patient, a 67-year-old woman, had recently returned from South Africa, Hochul said. She tested positive on Nov. 30, despite having been at least partially vaccinated, according to the governor.
Federal officials restricted travel to the US from eight nations in southern Africa after cases of the variant were reported in South Africa and Botswana.
“No cause for alarm, we just want to make sure the public is aware of information when we receive it,” Hochul said. Read more at the NY Post.
{Matzav.com}
