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Boston reports first cases of the omicron COVID-19 variant
City officials identified the variant in three young adults who were not fully vaccinated and experienced mild illness.
The omicron variant is officially in Boston.
City officials announced Wednesday that they had identified the first known Boston cases of the B.1.1.529 variant — which was first discovered in South Africa and is believed to be more transmissible than other variants — among three “young adults over the age of 18.”
According to the Boston Public Health Commission, none of the individuals were fully vaccinated. All three experienced mild disease, but none required hospitalization, the BPHC said.
The commission added that it is monitoring the situation closely and continues to work with city and state partners to inform policies and prevention efforts.
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The announcement comes 10 days after the first omicron case was detected in Massachusetts on Dec. 4 in nearby Middlesex County.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated Tuesday that the omicron variant accounted for 3 percent of all national cases reported last week. However, the percentage is as high as 13 percent in New York and New Jersey. And the variant is expected to continue to spread quickly, exacerbating the current delta variant-fueled surge in cases both locally and nationally.
While preliminary research suggest the omicron variant spreads more easily than previous strain, officials say it remains unclear if it is associated with higher rates of severe disease and death.
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According to the CDC, the omicron variant is likely to result in more breakthrough infections among individuals who are fully vaccinated. However, the current vaccines are expected to be largely effective at preventing serious illness, hospitalization, and death — particularly with boosters.
Early studies show that the additional booster shots even significantly raise protection against mild disease caused by the Omicron variant.
Local and federal health officials say the emergence of the variant reinforces the importance of vaccinations, boosters, testing, and masks.
With hospitalizations due to COVID-19 already on the rise in Boston and Massachusetts, the BPHC is asking residents to take the following precautions as they continue to learn more about omicron:
Get fully vaccinated and boosted. The Boston Public Health Commission urges everyone 5 years and older to protect themselves from COVID-19 by getting fully vaccinated. We also recommend that everyone ages 16 years and older get a booster shot at least two months after their initial J&J/Janssen vaccine or six months after completing their primary COVID-19 vaccination series of Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna. The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 booster is available to anyone ages 18 and older and the Pfizer COVID-19 booster is available to anyone ages 16 and older. You can mix and match vaccines; however, if you are ages 16-17, you can only get a Pfizer booster. COVID-19 vaccines are highly safe and effective and remain the best tool to protect yourself from COVID-19 and reduce the likelihood of new variants emerging in the future. Our current vaccines are expected to protect against severe illness, hospitalizations, and deaths due to infection with the Omicron variant.
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Get tested if you are exposed to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection, regardless of your vaccination status. We recommend that everyone get tested at least 5-7 days after close contact with someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, even if they don’t have symptoms irrespective of vaccination status. People who are fully vaccinated do not need to quarantine after contact with someone who had COVID-19 unless they have symptoms. Individuals who are not fully vaccinated must quarantine after an exposure to someone with COVID-19 per current guidance from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
Get tested and isolate immediately if you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, regardless of your vaccination status. Please remember to get tested and to self-isolate if any symptoms of COVID-19 infection develop, even if those symptoms are mild.
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