KENT COUNTY, Mich. (WWJ) – Health officials in Michigan say they have confirmed the state's first case of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, discovered in Kent County, which includes the city of Grand Rapids.
Officials say the case was discovered in an adult patient who was fully vaccinated, but had not yet received a booster shot.
"We are concerned, although not surprised, about the discovery of the Omicron variant in Michigan," MDHHS director Elizabeth Hertel said.
Hertel and health officials are continuing all Michiganders ages 5 and up to get vaccinated and receive the booster, as well as following measures such as mask-wearing, social distancing hand-washing and testing for the virus.
The initial detection of the case was reported to the Michigan Disease Surveillance System last Friday and the state health department was notified Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that it was the Omicron variant following genetic sequencing.
MDHHS is coordinating with the Kent County Health Department on investigation of the case which is ongoing. Officials say public health follow-up will include "an assessment of the potential for out-of-state exposure, compliance with isolation guidance and outreach to close contacts."
The Omicron variant, B.1.1.529, was classified as a "variant of concern" by the CDC on Nov. 30. MDHHS officials say variants are classified as variants of concern if they show evidence of being more contagious, causing more severe illness or resistance to diagnostics, treatments or vaccines.
According to CDC, the Omicron variant will likely spread more easily than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus.
It is not yet clear how easily the new variant spreads compared to Delta, which accounted for a large portion of COVID-19 cases across Michigan in recent months.
MDHHS says the CDC "expects that anyone with the Omicron infection can spread the virus to others, even if they are vaccinated or don't have symptoms. With other variants, like Delta, vaccines have remained effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalizations and death and are expected to do the same against Omicron."
"We have tools that prevent the spread of COVID-19, including Omicron. However, we continue to see that those not utilizing these tools, including vaccines, are disproportionately affected by this virus," said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, MDHHS chief medical executive. "The data is clear that these vaccines are extremely safe and effective, and the side effects of COVID-19 are much worse than receiving a vaccine. I emphasize the importance of not waiting to get vaccinated. Now is the time."
