NEW YORK — A Minnesota man who recently visited New York City for a convention at the Javits Center was diagnosed on Thursday as the second case of the omicron variant of COVID-19 identified in the U.S.
The unidentified Minneapolis man felt mild flu-like symptoms after he returned home from the Anime NYC 2021 convention at the Javits Center that ended Nov. 21.
He had not recently traveled to southern Africa, suggesting that the fast-spreading new omicron strain is now spreading in the community, either in Minnesota or New York or both.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said there is little doubt that omicron is now spreading in the Big Apple alongside the dominant delta variant of COVID.
“We should assume there is community spread of the variant in our city,” de Blasio said.
Gov. Kathy Hochul said “we believe” the Minnesota man likely contracted omicron in New York, but said there are still no confirmed cases in New York state.
She called for calm, saying the spread was expected.
“I don’t want anyone to panic over this,” Hochul said.
Health officials will now seek to track participants in the convention who may have interacted with the Minnesota omicron victim.
“Anyone who attended the AnimeNYC conference, especially anyone experiencing symptoms, should get tested immediately and take additional precautions,” de Blasio said.
Mayor-elect Eric Adams, who traveled to Ghana for a 10-day trip earlier this week despite international concern over the new variant, has been in touch with state and local officials about the omicron case.
”Addressing this new variant and its potential spread to New York must be a top priority for government and deserves the attention of all New Yorkers,” said Evan Thies, a spokesman for Adams.
In early November, the U.S. eased travel rules allowing fully vaccinated travelers of any nationality, including South Africa, to enter the U.S. if they test negative for COVID-19.
Since omicron was identified, the White House reversed course and barred most foreign travelers who have recently been in southern Africa.
The Centers for Disease Control said Thursday it has prepared well for omicron and any future variants of COVID-19.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC director, says U.S. health officials have greatly expanded their capacity to do the genomic sequencing tests that pinpoint new variants, an area in which the U.S. had lagged other nations.
The new case of omicron comes as no surprise to health officials. Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday it was “only a matter of time” before the fast-spreading new strain is identified in the U.S.
Omicron is already global with cases identified in several new countries daily.
Cases in South Africa, where omicron was first detected last week, have doubled every day this week and are up nearly 600% since last week.
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