A Texas man, who was unvaccinated, became the first confirmed omicron-related death in the U.S., CNN is reporting.
"The death reported this afternoon was of a man between the ages of 50-60 years old who was unvaccinated and had been infected with COVID-19 previously," Harris County Public Health (HCPH) said in a statement on Monday. "The individual was at higher risk of severe complications from COVID-19 due to his unvaccinated status and had underlying health conditions."
Barbie Robinson, HCPH executive director, said: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the patient’s family, and we extend our deepest sympathies. This is a reminder of the severity of COVID-19 and its variants. We urge all residents who qualify to get vaccinated and get their booster shot if they have not already."
The HCPH statement added: "HCPH recommends all individuals five years and older get vaccinated as soon as possible. To be protected against all current COVID-19 variants, including omicron, individuals must be fully vaccinated and get a booster shot when they are eligible. Being vaccinated provides the best protection from developing complications or death resulting from COVID-19."
And, according to KHOU-TV, County Judge Lina Hidalgo said: "Omicron is spreading incredibly quickly. First, we know that an increasing number of cases in Harris County are related to omicron. It’s more transmissible. The amount of time it takes for the number of omicron cases to double has been very worrisome. Early data shows its doubling in two to three days, according to the CDC. Just to give a point of comparison, the delta variant doubles every 11 days."
And Reuters, attributing the information to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reported the omicron variant now accounts for 73% of all U.S. COVID-19 infections.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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