Officials with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) on Thursday announced they had detected the state’s first case of the omicron variant of COVID-19.
The case was identified in a fully-vaccinated adult female resident of Arapahoe County after she returned stateside from traveling to several countries in Southern Africa for tourism. Officials said the individual was eligible for a booster, but had not yet received their third shot.
The individual returned from her travels late last week, and tested positive for COVID-19 several days after.
The patient was experiencing mild symptoms and is quarantining at home. All close contacts have so far tested negative for COVID-19.
“This case consistently followed public health recommendations, including the use of a mask during travel,” Dr. Rachel Herlihy, Colorado State epidemiologist, said during an afternoon press conference. “We are certainly grateful to her and to all Coloradans that continue to follow public health recommendations, including mask use.”
Herlihy added that officials have “no reason to believe” that masks are less effective against the omicron variant than other strains of COVID-19 at this point.
It’s only the third case of the omicron strain that has been reported so far in the U.S. Earlier Thursday, officials from the Minnesota Department of Health reported an individual tested positive following travel to New York City.
The case in Minnesota came a day after health officials in California on Wednesday said they discovered the first known omicron infection in the U.S. That individual had recently traveled to South Africa, where the variant was first sequenced.
Colorado’s Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, said Thursday it “wasn’t a matter of if, it was a matter of when” the omicron variant would be identified in the state.
“We have travelers that returned from Southern Africa. We don’t yet have substantial community transmission of the virus,” Polis said, adding that all Coloradans should get vaccinated or get a booster shot if they are eligible.
Health experts do not yet know much about the nature of the omicron variant, other than that it has more mutations than previous strains. Scientists are awaiting more data to know whether the variant might be more transmissible or cause more severe illness than previously-identified variants of COVID-19.
This story was updated to include quotes from state officials.
