Omicron has arrived in New Jersey.
Gov. Phil Murphy on Friday announced a case of the much-watched coronavirus variant has been identified in the state.
Here’s what we know so far:
A TRAVELER TESTED POSITIVE
The variant was identified in an adult Georgia woman who traveled to New Jersey after recently traveling to South Africa, Murphy and state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said in a statement.
Officials did not revealed her identity.
The woman, who is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, tested positive Nov. 28, has been in isolation since, and has experienced moderate symptoms, officials said. She is receiving care in the emergency department of an unidentified North Jersey hospital, they said.
The New Jersey Department of Health laboratory performed sequencing on the specimen to confirm it was the omicron variant of COVID-19, officials said.
They did not release more details about the case.
“The Omicron variant is among us and we need to take steps to stop its spread,” Murphy said in a statement. “It is vital that residents remain as vigilant as possible as we await more information about the variant.”
The governor called on people to keep getting vaccinated against COVID-19 and urged everyone over 18 to get a booster shot.
MORE TO COME, BUT ...
Murphy told NJ Advance Media on Saturday that more cases are likely to hit the state.
“My gut tells me this is the first of many to come,” he said during a short interview after an unrelated event in Carteret.
The governor also stressed “the science is incomplete” on the variant, though he said the “early sense” is that it’s “much more transmissible, including to folks that have already been infected.”
“But again, I almost don’t want to say this, but please God it’s true, early evidence is the impacts are mild,” Murphy added. “I know the one case in New Jersey is mild symptoms. But that is incomplete. So folks need to be vigilant, wearing the masks, getting vaccinated, getting boosted. Because so far at least, there’s no evidence that lineup is working.”
State Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said “we are still learning about the Omicron variant, but we have tools to stop the spread of the virus, most important among them is to get vaccinated and get a booster dose.”
“The public should continue to mask up, get tested if they have symptoms, physically distance, avoid crowded events, stay home when sick and wash hands frequently,” Persichilli added.
WHAT IS OMICRON?
Omicron is the latest strain of COVID-19 to spread across the globe. The World Health Organization designated omicron a “variant of concern,” saying it poses a “very high” global risk.
It was first identified in South Africa and has since spread to more than 20 countries, in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America.
The United States’ first case was found this week in California. Locally, multiple cases have been identified in New York City, and Pennsylvania reported its first case Friday, in Philadelphia. The variant has also been found in Colorado, Hawaii, and Minnesota.
The U.S. has installed travel restrictions to help curb the spread.
CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter| Homepage
HOW DANGEROUS IS OMICRON?
Health experts and officials are still learning about the variant and trying to discover the risk it poses.
There have been reports that omicron may spread faster than other strains. But so far, officials say, omicron has resulted in mild or moderate cases of COVID-19.
“What scientists are trying to figure out is if this variant is more transmissible. Is it causing more severe illnesses than other variants?” Stephanie Silvera, an epidemiologist and health professor at Montclair State University, told NJ Advance Media earlier this week. “The delta variant (for instance) seems more transmissible than other variants that we have seen. And they’ll be looking at whether or not it ultimately evades vaccine protection. It’s just not something we can know yet.”
President Joe Biden this week called omicron “a cause for concern, not a cause for panic” as he laid out the steps the country is taking to combat the variant.
Still, Dr. Suraj Saggar, chief of infectious disease at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, said “now is not the time” to let your guard down, especially because winter has brought colder weather that will keep more people inside and as people gather for the holidays.
HOW WELL DO VACCINES WORK AGAINST IT?
It is so far unclear how well vaccines work against the variant. Scientists are investigating the effectiveness.
Moderna said this week it could have a booster shot to target omicron ready for approval by March 2022.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday it expects the vaccines will “continue to offer protection against hospitalization and death” even against omicron, though the mutations in the variant will likely result in “significant reductions” in the ability of some antibodies from the vaccines or a prior coronavirus infection to battle the variant.
The CDC announced this week that every American adult should receive a vaccine booster shot if eligible because of the strain’s threat.
COVID IS RISING AGAIN IN N.J.
This comes as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are on the rise again in New Jersey as the state continues to deal with the delta variant of the virus, which is still the predominant strain.
The state on Saturday reported another 18 deaths and 3,634 cases. The state’s seven-day average for new positive tests increased to 2,779, up 55% from a week ago and 161% from a month ago. That’s also the highest average since April 22. By comparison, however, the seven-day average was 4,367 on Dec. 4, 2020, when vaccinations were not yet available.
There were 1,118 patients hospitalized with confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases across New Jersey’s 71 hospitals as of Thursday night. It was the fifth straight day the state reported more than 1,000 hospitalizations.
Officials said they expected cases to rise with colder weather and holiday events.
WILL THERE BE LOCKDOWNS?
Murphy said Tuesday there are no immediate plans for more lockdowns or other restrictions in New Jersey amid concerns over omicron.
Still, the governor stressed things could change as the nation learns more about the variant.
“Nothing is in the cards, but we take nothing off the table,” Murphy said. “There’s so little known about this (new) variant in terms of the scientific research. The early sense is it’s more transmissible but does not appear to be more lethal. That’s really only a sense there’s no amount of research that underpins that, so we have to learn more.”
NJ Advance Media staff writers Matt Arco, Katherine Rodriguez, and Chris Sheldon contributed to this report.
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Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @johnsb01.
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