The first U.S. case of the omicron variant has been detected in San Francisco. The case was confirmed when a Bay Area resident returned from South Africa and tested positive for the variant shortly after their flight home.
Listen to the latest episode of "Bay Current" below.
The person, who is fully vaccinated, arrived at San Francisco International Airport on Nov. 22, and tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday.
A sample of their test underwent genomic sequencing at UCSF.
"We know the person had extra screening because of their travel history," KCBS Radio's Kathy Novak told "Bay Current" on Thursday. "The reason why it was detected here first may be because of the experts at UCSF and the testing experts at Color (the healthcare and clinical testing company). It took them less than 30 hours from the time this person was tested to getting the confirmation."
Dr. Grant Colfax, director of the San Francisco Public Health Department, said at a press briefing on Wednesday at City Hall that the omicron variant is a cause for concern but people shouldn't panic. Novak, who attended the briefing, said that city health officials do not expect to change the restrictions around masking and vaccinations.
"The city has already had stricter restrictions than other places in the United States," Novak added. "Mayor London Breed added that the presence of omicron in the world is likely to slow down plans to pull back these restrictions."
City officials also urged residents to get vaccinated, schedule a booster appointment if eligible, and comply with mask requirements.
"What we hear from the health experts is that we need to sit tight," Novak noted. "This variant is only recently identified in South Africa and Europe, and it will take some time for us to know how transmissible it really is or whether it makes people more sick. These are questions that health experts need to answer."
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