Omicron variant of COVID-19 detected by Cleveland Clinic lab Monday

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The emerging variant of the omicron COVID-19 has been detected by a laboratory at the Cleveland Clinic, the hospital system said Monday.

“The Cleveland Clinic has detected the omicron variant in our lab. We regularly sequence positive samples every week and share this information with the Ohio Department of Health, ”the hospital system said in a statement.

“This sampling of positive samples allows us to identify and track variants of SARS-CoV-2 circulating in the community.”

The clinic did not disclose any other information, including the origin of the identified case and the person’s degree of illness at the time of the test.

All genetic sequencing is done in a lab located on the clinic’s main campus, a spokesperson said.

The announcement came days after the Ohio Department of Health reported that the first two cases of the omicron variant were confirmed in Ohio by the Ohio State University lab.

The ODH made the announcement on Saturday.

The omicron variant was detected in two men in central Ohio, according to the ODH statement. The two men received their first round of COVID-19 vaccines more than six months ago. They have yet to receive the recall, ODH said.

“We knew it would only be a matter of time before a case of omicron was detected in Ohio. The CDC believes this variant has likely been circulating in the United States since November,” said Bruce Vanderhoff, director of the Ohio Department of Health, in a press release.

“The arrival of this variant and the continued impact of the Delta variant underscore the importance of our best prevention tool, which is to choose to get vaccinated. COVID-19 (coronavirus) vaccines, together with preventive measures, offer the best protection against serious illnesses leading to hospitalization or death. If you haven’t been vaccinated yet or are eligible for a booster dose, now is the time to get vaccinated.

Omicron, a worrisome variant, has spread rapidly around the world after its discovery last month.

Early data suggests this omicron is more transmissible than the Delta variant, which has managed to outperform previous variants in the world. It is not yet clear whether the ability of omicron to spread rapidly is due to resistance to immunity, inherent increased transmissibility, or a combination of the two, the WHO said recently.

Monday, the first known death related to omicron has been confirmed in the UK.