US case of COVID-19 omicron variant identified in California

By MICHAEL BALSAMO and ZEKE MILLER
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A person in California has become the first  in the U.S. to have an identified case of the omicron variant of COVID-19. Dr. Anthony Fauci said the person was a traveler who returned from South Africa on Nov. 22 and tested positive on Nov. 29. The person was vaccinated but had not received a booster shot. The news comes as scientists continue to study the risks posed by the new strain of the virus. The Biden administration moved late last month to restrict travel from Southern Africa where the variant was first identified and had been widespread. Clusters of cases have also been identified in about two dozen other nations.