Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the first confirmed cases of the COVID-19 Omicron variant in New York State.
So far, the five cases appear unrelated and have been confirmed through sequencing of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. One case is from Suffolk County with a history of travel to South Africa. The individual was asymptomatic while traveling home and after returning became symptomatic. Sequencing performed at the Pandemic Response Lab (PRL) confirmed the presence of the Omicron variant.
The other four cases are New York City residents. Two cases from Queens and one from Brooklyn were confirmed at PRL, while the other case, whose borough of residence is still being determined, was confirmed by the New York City Public Health Lab.