Minute by minute: the omicron variant of the coronavirus advances around the world

San Francisco health official Dr. Susan Philip told CNN’s John Berman on New Day on Thursday that the patient with the first confirmed case of the omicron variant in the United States is doing well, and that there are still no signs of further transmission of the virus.

The first confirmed case of the omicron variant in the United States was announced on Wednesday.

“This first individual is fine,” Philip said, when asked about the first patient.

“We are very happy to hear it and they have absolutely contributed to our knowledge in San Francisco, and nationally, because they came to our attention, reported their symptoms and called us to public health so that we could start the laboratory process to detect the first case. In U.S.A.”.

Asked about any indications of transmission from the patient, Philip said that they are still under investigation, and that they wanted to notify their colleagues at the state level and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the public. , as soon as possible.

He said it was still early days, but measures being taken in San Francisco – such as booster shots, continuous indoor masking and testing people – are key to preventing the spread.

“There are no signals yet,” Philip said, when asked to clarify whether there were any signals of transmission or additional cases related to it. “And, you know, I think it is important, as you have pointed out, that this is the first case detected, it is almost certainly not the first case in the United States.”