The Omicron variant of COVID-19 has been detected in Mississippi, according to the Mississippi State Health Department.
The patient diagnosed with the newest strain of the coronavirus was not hospitalized and recently traveled to New York. The patient is fully vaccinated.
Mississippi is the 17th state in the U.S. to detect the variant, joining California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Utah and Washington.
“We were prepared for the appearance of this variant in Mississippi, and we need to remember that Delta is still a very active variant of COVID-19 currently in the state, as well,” MSDH State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs wrote in a statement disseminated to the media.
Dobbs stressed that the COVID vaccination and booster is still the best tool available in fighting back against the coronavirus, including the mysterious Omicron variant.
“Vaccines remain the best public health measure to protect people from COVID-19, slow the transmission rate, and reduce the likelihood of new variants emerging. COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalizations, and death,” Dobbs said.
The severity of the infection caused by Omicron as well as just how transmissible it is are still being studied by scientists.
