First case of COVID-19 omicron variant found in Santa Clara County | News

The first case of the omicron COVID-19 variant has been identified in Santa Clara County, health officials said Friday morning.

The county public health department was notified of the case on Thursday, December 9. The resident is isolated, has been fully vaccinated and has not received a booster. The resident recently returned from a domestic trip out of state. The individual was arriving just for his recall, which he planned to have this month, Dr Sara Cody, county health official and director of public health, told a press conference. press conference Friday.

The resident was originally from the northern region of the county – Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills or Stanford, Cody said. She noted that the person’s illness was “very mild” and that the county has notified all of the person’s contacts.

In addition to the reported case, the omicron variant was first detected on December 7 as part of sewer surveillance, Cody said. The county monitors the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its variants in four sewer ponds every day. The omicron variant was found in the North County Sewerage Basin, which, in addition to the Los Altos Hills area in Stanford, includes part of East Palo Alto in San Mateo County.

She said the department predicted that the omicron variant was likely already present in the county but had not yet been detected locally.

The new case comes as no surprise, the county said in a press release Friday. The reported case, along with the increase in the number of cases in the county, Bay Area and statewide, reminds residents to take preventative measures, including vaccinations and boosters, to better protect themselves and protect the community, health officials said. The county has expanded by giving booster shots of the Pfizer vaccine to people aged 16 and 17 after approval from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday. Appointments are open to anyone aged 16 and over.

“While there are still many unknowns about this variant, we strongly recommend that you get the vaccine and receive your booster if you haven’t already to protect yourself against omicron. It’s a new variant, but we know what to do, and that’s to continue with all of our layers of protection: vaccinate, boost, mask, ventilate, keep away and test often, ”Cody said in the release.

The rates of COVID-19 cases are also going “rightly” among the unvaccinated, at over 80 cases per 100,000 population per day. With a population of nearly 2 million, this represents around 1,600 cases per day.

Dr Marty Fenstersheib, the county’s COVID-19 vaccine manager, also stressed the importance of booster shots. The county is approaching 80% of eligible residents fully immunized, one of the highest rates in the country, but it’s not enough. So far, only around 39% of the eligible population aged 16 and over have received their booster. The percentage of young people between the ages of 18 and 49 is well below just 20%, he said.

“The main message now is the importance of boosters – two initial injections are not enough. Boosters have been shown to provide great additional protection against serious infection with COVID-19,” he said.

Masking, testing, ventilation and distancing also remain the best defenses against COVID-19, health officials have said. As the holiday season progresses, people need to be aware of the risks.

Health officials recommend that people take the following precautions if they need to travel or gather for the holidays:

• Get tested immediately before travel, upon return, and again three to five days later.

• Ask all people 5 years of age and over to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

• Ask everyone aged 16 and over to receive their COVID-19 reminder.

• Wear a mask indoors and in crowded areas. It is important to wear medical grade masks and adjust the masks to fit properly.

• Keep group gatherings small, both in size and duration. Gather only with close family units.

• Outdoor gatherings are safer than indoor gatherings.

• Be careful with the elderly or immunocompromised and consider testing for COVID-19 before such interactions.

Parents of very young children and those who have not been vaccinated should be sure to take all recommended precautions. They are advised to avoid large gatherings and to always wear a mask in indoor public places and crowded outdoor places, unless the child is under 2 years of age.

Fenstersheib said nearly 40% of children aged 5 to 11 have received at least one vaccine. Children living in the eastern and southern parts of the county, where many Latino and black residents live, have much lower vaccination rates than other parts of the county. Authorities are trying to improve the disparity by adding more clinics to the school and are urging parents to get their children vaccinated during winter school holidays.

Vaccinations across the county are free to the public, no insurance is required, and there are no immigration requirements.

Vaccination appointments at county clinics are available at sccfreevax.org. Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Janssen / Johnson & Johnson vaccines are all available in the county. Many doctors’ offices and pharmacies are providing COVID-19 vaccines, including boosters. Appointments can also be made at myturn.ca.gov.