US reports first case of Omicron variant in South Africa returnee

The United States announced its first confirmed case of Omicron variant of coronavirus on Wednesday. The variant has been detected in a fully vaccinated traveler who had recently returned from South Africa.

The US recorded its first confirmed case of the omicron variant Wednesday — in a vaccinated traveler who returned to California after a trip to South Africa — as scientists around the world race to establish whether the new, mutant version of the coronavirus is more dangerous than previous ones.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the United States’ top infectious-disease expert, announced the finding at the White House.