Just one day after the first Omicron case was reported in the United States, federal officials announced a second case on Thursday, this time in a Minnesota man who had traveled to an Anime convention in New York City in November.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is working on the case with the Minnesota Department of Health and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The man developed mild symptoms on Nov. 22, sought coronavirus testing on Nov. 24, and has since recovered. He told health authorities he had traveled to New York City to attend an Anime convention at the Javits Center from Nov. 19 to 21, the CDC added.
"[The] CDC has been actively monitoring and preparing for this variant," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a statement. "We have been working closely with Minnesota's Department of Health and will continue to work diligently with other U.S. and global public health and industry partners as we learn more. CDC has expanded its capacity for genomic sequencing over the past nine months, and we have more tools to fight the variant than we had at this time last year, from vaccines to boosters, to the prevention strategies that we know work including masking in indoor public settings, washing your hands frequently and physical distancing. These methods work to prevent the spread of COVID-19, no matter the genetic sequence."
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said the case was not unexpected.
"This news is concerning, but it is not a surprise," Walz said in a statement. "We know that this virus is highly infectious and moves quickly throughout the world. Minnesotans know what to do to keep each other safe now — get the vaccine, get tested, wear a mask indoors, and get a booster."
The infected man is a resident of Hennepin County and was vaccinated, the Minnesota Department of Health said. He was advised to isolate from others.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio urged residents to take precautions to protect themselves against the Omicron variant.
"We are aware of a case of the Omicron variant identified in Minnesota that is associated with travel to a conference in New York City, and we should assume there is community spread of the variant in our city," de Blasio said in a statement.
"We are working closely with the state and the CDC, as well as the Javits Center's event organizers, and our Test and Trace Corps will be contacting conference attendees. This conference required masks and complied with our... requirement to mandate vaccination," he said.
"Anyone who attended the Anime NYC conference, especially anyone experiencing symptoms, should get tested immediately and take additional precautions, including social distancing," de Blasio added.
Second case could be part of superspreader event
One expert said the second Omicron case could prove ominous.
"Recent news that the second person with the Omicron variant had attended a large convention suggests the possibility that a superspreader event could be responsible for dissemination of the virus on a larger scale," said Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency medicine physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.
"In fact, during the earlier days of the pandemic, superspreader events were thought to play a significant role in viral transmission. We do know that as little as 10% of infected people may generate 80% of cases in certain types of situations," he added.
"With superspreader events, the '3 Cs' are what matter most: closed spaces with poor ventilation; crowded spaces; and close-contact settings. Yet, time spent together is an important aspect as well. The longer amount of time a particular group stays in contact, the greater the chance of viral spread," Glatter said.
"But not unexpectedly, the single most important aspect that superspreader events have in common is that they are places where large numbers of people congregate. The more people that are confined to a single and poorly ventilated indoor space, the more chances exist for SARS-CoV-2 to infect many people at once," Glatter explained.
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