Hospital in Houston reports 8 cases of Covid variant Omicron

The woman, in her 40s, had no recent travel history and was fully vaccinated.Later on Tuesday, city officials announced that they detected it in the waste water, thus confirming that the new strain is spreading in the city.Houston Methodist researchers could now study Omicron cases to determine its transmissibility and severity, as well as how the vaccines will hold up against it.With more than 50 mutations, experts are concerned that Omicron may be more infectious than even the highly contagious Delta variant, said Long.

A prominent hospital here in the US state of Texas has confirmed that they have identified eight cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Medical Director of Diagnostic Microbiology at the Houston Methodist Hospital, Scott Wesley Long, tweeted to say that the samples detected on Wednesday were collected earlier this month.

“We remain in hyper vigilant mode,” he said. “Our outstanding team is sequencing samples as rapidly as possible to uncover additional Omicron cases.” According to a Houston Methodist press release, the COVID-19 genome sequencing surveillance project used by the hospital to track the virus showed the Delta variant to be the dominant mutation in Houston at 100 per cent until Wednesday’s announcement.

''We’re in a race against the variants,'' said Long.

''To stop the COVID-19 virus dead in its tracks, we can’t stress enough on how critically important it is for everyone in the community to get completely vaccinated as soon as possible. Remember, this includes boosters or a third shot if you are eligible. Continue to take extra precautions in the meantime, such as wearing masks, socially distancing, avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces, and if you feel sick, self-isolating until you can be tested for COVID-19.'' Earlier on Monday, Harris County Public Health reported that a woman from NW Harris County tested positive for what is believed to be the first case of the Omicron variant in Texas.

The announcement from Methodist comes after it was revealed earlier this week that a Harris County woman contracted the first known case of the Omicron Covid variant in Texas, according to officials. The woman, in her 40s, had no recent travel history and was fully vaccinated.

Later on Tuesday, city officials announced that they detected it in the waste water, thus confirming that the new strain is spreading in the city.

Houston Methodist researchers could now study Omicron cases to determine its transmissibility and severity, as well as how the vaccines will hold up against it.

With more than 50 mutations, experts are concerned that Omicron may be more infectious than even the highly contagious Delta variant,'' said Long.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)