New York state already has five confirmed cases of the omicron COVID-19 variant, joining California, Minnesota and Colorado as states with evidence of the variant that was discovered in South Africa and led President Joe Biden to ban travel from the area.
"New York State has confirmed five cases of the omicron variant," Hochul tweeted Thursday evening. "Let me be clear: This is not cause for alarm. We knew this variant was coming and we have the tools to stop the spread. Get your vaccine. Get your booster. Wear your mask."
Four of the cases were discovered in New York City, two in the borough of Queens, and another in Suffolk County. The latter is a woman, 67, who had been at least partially vaccinated, Hochul told reporters in a news conference, The Hill reported.
The early cases ''are not life-threatening," Hochul said at the news conference, broadcast by ABC-7 in New York.
Despite the evidence of a breakthrough case among at least one vaccinated person, Hochul said: "We're not defenseless against this variant."
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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