Don’t panic, it’s too early” was the message Wednesday as officials with the Washington Department of Health (DOH) discussed the new omicron variant of COVID-19, which is still undetected in the state.
At the beginning of the morning briefing, the variant was still foreign, having not yet been detected in the U.S. Yet, before the briefing was over, alerts were already being sent announcing the presence of omicron in California.
“In the world of Twitter and social media, it looks like the first confirmed U.S. case of the omicron variant has been detected in California,” Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah said, announcing the breaking news midway through questions and answers. “As you see me read that out, the reaction from our team is what we said earlier. Don’t be surprised when we get a positive case somewhere, and don’t be surprised if you get a positive case of the omicron variant here in the state of Washington.”