Governor Ned Lamont confirmed that a fully vaccinated man marks Connecticut's first case of the Omicron Covid-19 variant.
State officials said the man, who is in his 60s, is from Hartford County. Sequencing performed at the Connecticut State Public Health Laboratory confirmed the presence of the variant.
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The man developed mild symptoms on Nov. 27. An at-home Covid-19 test was positive two days later and a molecular test also came back positive on Dec. 1, according to Lamont.
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The governor's office said a family member traveled to New York City between Nov. 17 and 22 to attend the Anime NYC 2021 convention held at the Javits Center. The family member developed symptoms and took an at-home test which came back positive on Nov. 23. Their symptoms have since been resolved, officials said.
Both the man and family member that tested positive for the virus are fully vaccinated, according to the governor.
Other family members are undergoing coronavirus testing.
“As I’ve been saying for the last several days, given the speed that this new variant has been spreading around the world and its positive identification in several states, we presumed it was already in our state and the information we received from the lab today confirms that fact,” Lamont said in a statement.
“This likely is not the only case of the variant in the state. That being said, I must urge everyone in Connecticut not to panic. While we are still learning more about this variant, our health providers are continuing to do their best to protect everyone. We have life-saving tools like vaccines and boosters available to fight this pandemic – including the Delta and Omicron variants – and I urge everyone to take the necessary precautions to protect themselves and everyone around them," he continued.
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The state Department of Public Health is urging residents to get vaccinated if they haven't already. Booster shot clinics are also open throughout the state.
“Given the number of states that have identified Omicron to date, it was only a matter of time before we identified it here in Connecticut as well. Although Omicron appears to be more infectious than the Delta variant, both affected individuals have had mild symptoms to date. It is reassuring as their immunity seems to be helping them fight off this infection," Connecticut Public Health Commissioner Dr. Manisha Juthani said in a statement.
