Omicron In VA/DC: What Percent Of COVID Cases Are New Variant?

Falls Church VA

15 December, 2021

10:24 AM

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VIRGINIA/DC — The omicron coronavirus variant is gradually expanding across the United States, with the variant currently more prevalent in some states than others. In the D.C. and Virginia region, the omicron variant represents 0.5 percent or fewer of the confirmed cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Last Thursday, the Virginia Department of Health announced the first confirmed case of the Omicron variant was identified in a sample from an adult in the Northwest region. The person had no history of international travel but did have a history of domestic travel during the exposure period. Four cases of the COVID-19 omicron variant were confirmed in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, the first confirmed cases of the variant in the District. While spread of the omicron variant in the Virginia and D.C. area is spreading gradually, CDC officials are seeing greater spread in other areas of the country. For example, officials estimated the highly contagious variant now represents 13 percent of COVID-19 cases in New York and New Jersey. Nationally, the omicron variant makes up about 3 percent of cases. Rochelle Walensky, who heads the CDC, said Tuesday on the "Today Show" that increasingly it appears the omicron variant causes less severe cases. She said there's still reason for concern. "You still have a lot of people who are getting sick," she said, adding some of the most vulnerable people could experience severe COVID-related illness or death. The earliest known case of omicron in the United States was found in a 40-year-old woman from Maryland who was tested on Nov. 21. The discovery of the variant in the country prompted the federal government to enact travel restrictions. As of Monday, there were two confirmed cases in Virginia — one in Northern Virginia in addition to the Northwest region case — and four in the District of Columbia. "In the next couple of weeks, judging how things are going in the U.K. and Denmark and other countries, we can assume omicron will become the dominant strain in our area," Ranit Mishori, vice president and chief public health officer at Georgetown University, told the Washington Post. The delta variant remains much more prevalent across the county, but cases involving the omicron variant have been trending upward nationwide in recent weeks, officials said. Omicron cases have been detected in 33 states, which Walensky said indicates that it is quickly becoming the predominant strain as more cases emerge.