COLUMBUS – State health officials say two central Ohio men are the first two people in the state to be infected with the omicron variant of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
The Ohio State University Laboratory confirmed the men tested positive for the strain on Dec. 7.
“We have known that it would only be a matter of time until a case of omicron was detected in Ohio. The CDC believes that this variant has likely been circulating in the U.S. since November,” Ohio Department of Health director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff said.
The patients were vaccinated more than six months ago, but neither had yet obtained a booster and neither had a history of international travel.
Both men are experiencing mild symptoms and have not been hospitalized, officials said.
Drugmaker Pfizer this week said a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine appears to offer important protection against the omicron variant.
The positive tests reflect about 0.2% of the approximately 1,000 tests that have been sequenced at the OSU lab, the remainder of which were the older delta variant.
“The delta variant remains the strain responsible for the most illness and filling up emergency rooms and hospital beds across the state of Ohio,” said Dr. Andrew Thomas, chief clinical officer and interim co-leader at the OSU Wexner Medical Center.
The Omicron variant was classified as one of concern by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Nov. 30.
Variants of concern show evidence of being more contagious, causing more severe illness or resistance to diagnostics, treatments or vaccines.