WASHINGTON — Dr. Anthony Fauci said the discovery of the omicron variant in the United States on Wednesday was “just a matter of time” and advised Americans across the country to get COVID-19 vaccine boosters and continue using masks.
Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, said the first case discovered in California was an individual who was tested for COVID-19 on Nov. 29 after traveling to the United States from South Africa on Nov. 22.
“We knew that it was just a matter of time before the first case,” Fauci said at a White House press briefing. “We know what we need to do to protect people.”
He advised Americans to resume wearing masks in indoor group settings, including at restaurants when not eating or drinking, and to get boosted as soon as possible for adults who are six months out from their last vaccine dose.
“If you look at the things we’ve been recommending, they’re just the same,” he said. “We want to keep doing that and make sure we pay close attention to that.”
Fauci also encouraged Californians to resume COVID-19 measures to protect themselves from the disease after the omicron variant was detected for the first time in that state.
“The California and San Francisco departments of public health and the CDC have confirmed that a recent case of COVID-19 among an individual in California was caused by the omicron variant,” Fauci said.
Genomic sequencing was conducted at the University of California at San Francisco and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that it was “consistent with the omicron variant.”
“For the people in California, we’ve been in touch with the public health officials in California,” Fauci said. “Just do all of the mitigation — all of the things we’ve been talking about up until now. For those who have not been doing that, start doing that. For those who have been, continue doing that.”
White House officials declined to provide more details on the individual, only to say the person had mild symptoms that seemed to be improving.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden has no plans to speak with California officials on the matter, but that the president’s health and medical team are in “constant” communication with state officials. The president was briefed on the case earlier in the day.
“We have been in constant contact with local public health officials from our health and medical team,” Psaki said. “It’s been continuous. And that’s how we’re going to continue to track and trace any cases that come up.”
Omicron was first identified in South Africa last week. With roughly 50 mutations, the variant has alarmed public health experts and scientists, who fear omicron could prove more contagious and resistant to vaccines.
“It was only a matter of time before the first case of omicron was detected in the U.S.,” Jeff Zients, coordinator of the White House coronavirus response, said in a statement. “We are prepared to meet this challenge with science and speed.”
“The president’s medical team continues to believe that existing vaccines will provide some level of protection against severe illness from Omicron, and individuals who have gotten boosters have even stronger protection,” Zients said. “As such, we urge all adults to get their booster shots and to get themselves and their kids vaccinated, if they haven’t already.”
