First Texas Case of Omicron COVID-19 Mutant Reported

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Texas has identified the first case of the Omicron COVID-19 mutant. This is a stock flagged as follows: Potentially more infectious State health officials said on Monday, including the Delta mutants that are responsible for the surge that is still happening nationwide, rather than what happened before.

According to the Texas Department of Health and the county, this variant was identified in a woman in Harris County in her 40s in Texas. Judge Lina Hidalgo..

Despite remaining high on state and federal health authorities radar, many questions still surround Omicron.

Early indicators suggest that this subspecies is highly contagious, but will it infect people at a faster rate than the Delta subspecies, which represents almost all cases currently active in Texas? I’m still not sure. Little is known about the severity of the disease caused by the Omicron mutant.

It can also take Another month, Experts say to understand how effective vaccines or innate immunity are against Omicron variants.

Other unknowns include how sick it is, how it infects them, and whether it is milder or more aggressive than the delta mutant.

According to Hidalgo, the female with the mutation has no recent travel history.

Confirmation of arrival in Texas was not surprising to state health officials, as Omicron has been in circulation in other countries for several weeks.

First case of Omicron mutant in the United States Reported in California on Wednesday.. Since then, more cases have occurred in other states, including Newyork and Minnesota.

Texas Health Authority Already on the lookout Holiday spikes are possible, whether due to Delta, Omicron, or other varieties, and are seeking more Texas people to get the vaccine. As of December 1, about 55% of Texas has been fully vaccinated.

“Prevention is important and vaccination remains our best preventive tool,” said Chris Van Dusen, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Health.

Federal health authorities are also encouraging qualified vaccinated adults to take booster shots to strengthen their defenses against COVID-19. Only 18.5% of fully vaccinated Texas received booster shots, according to state health figures.

Texas hospitals have had a fatal surge of two years, Summer waves The number of deaths and hospitalizations in which a record number of ICUs reached capacity.

A wave of illness worse than Delta will put further pressure on already growing resources — but if the pandemic is a milder form of illness, it’s hospital capacity and Texas. May not have much of an impact on the effects of the pandemic.

“For now, at least for us, it’s been 100% delta for a few weeks,” said Dr. Randall Olsen, medical director at the Molecular Diagnostic Institute at the Houston Methodist Hospital. .. “Delta has surpassed all the other variants it had before. [omicron] … you need to find a foothold and if it succeeds, you need to replace the delta as the main cause [of new cases].. To do that, you have to be a substantial pathogen. “

Early signs of whether it is possible are mixed.

Variant identified In more than 20 countries Within last month. But so far, there have been no deaths associated with Omicron.A South African doctor who was instrumental in identifying early cases said that the symptoms of Omicron patients so far Mild.. and, Early indicators Booster shots help protect against Omicron.

At the same time, hospitalized Soared In the last few weeks in the South African state where Omicron was first identified — and Where the new stock overtakes the delta variant Prevalence of new cases there.South African Infectious Disease Expert Told reuters On Tuesday, Omicron shows signs of being highly contagious.

It also caught the attention of the World Health Organization last week because of the unusually large number of mutations in the structure of the Omicron variant, which are unique and can increase the chances of the structure spreading to the virus.

Scientists still don’t know where the variant came from.

Omicron 5 COVID-19 variants Currently labeled as a “variant of concern” by WHO. In short, their genetic composition can cause large-scale surges and worsen the course of a pandemic.

The most potent to date is the highly contagious delta variant, which infects people faster than any other strain and prevents other variants from spreading widely.

yet The most popular variant in the world, Delta infuriates unvaccinated communities both in Texas and across the country during the summer, Case, Hospitalizations and daily deaths that reached some of the highest levels of pandemic.

A delta variant discovered in India in late 2020, First identified in the United States in MarchAccording to experts, it is a variant that is currently responsible for the increased number of cases and hospitalizations found in western Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, and so on.

“This is [omicron] Dr. Jason Bowling, an epidemiologist at University Health in San Antonio, said: “For a while, it was all Delta, Delta, Delta …

“There may be new children in the block.”

Kailyn Rhone contributed to this story.