The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting its first probable case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in Louisiana.
The case involves an individual in Region 1, the Greater New Orleans area, who recently traveled within the United States.
“We now know Omicron is here in Louisiana. This is cause for concern, but not panic,” said State Health Officer Dr. Joseph Kanter. “We have been expecting and preparing for this moment. To all Louisianans, the single best action you can take to protect yourselves and your families is to get yourself and loved ones vaccinated and boosted if eligible.”
“The Governor and I promised earlier today we would share with the public as soon as we had information that Omicron was in our state,” said Dr. Kanter. “We know families have questions and concerns. We will continue to monitor the situation and keep the public updated.”
LDH has established a network of laboratories to conduct genomic sequencing on positive SARS-CoV-2 specimens in order to track circulating SARS-CoV-2 lineages, including newly emerging variants such as Omicron. Epidemiologists, laboratorians, and researchers will continue to closely monitor these data in order to continue to identify Omicron cases in Louisiana.
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