HARRIS COUNTY (1080 KRLD)- Texas has identified the first known case of the Omicron Covid-19 variant in Harris County.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo says a woman in her 40s has tested positive, and has had no recent travel history.
Dr. John Hellerstedt, Commissioner of the Department of State Health Services, says "it's normal for viruses to mutate, and given how quickly Omicron spread in southern Africa, we're not surprised that it showed up here".
The state says the variant appears to spread more easily from person to person than most strains of the coronavirus, but it's not yet clear if it's associated with more severe disease.
Omicron is thought to be responsible for a small proportion of the current COVID-19 cases in Texas and the United States.
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