Visitors walk around the memorial to the victims of COVID-19 at Griffith Observatory
A man attending an anime convention in New York City in late November tested positive for the Omicron version of COVID-19 when he returned home in Minnesota, marking the version’s second case in the US and the nation’s largest Motivated the authorities in the city. Urge thousands of conference attendees to get tested.
The case comes a day after the US announced that the first case of the Omicron version of the coronavirus was detected in California in a person who had recently traveled to South Africa.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said there were no confirmed cases among New York residents yet, but with that expected to change, “we anticipate that there will be more cases.”
According to the event’s organizers, the anime convention attracted around 50,000 people, and attendees were required to wear masks and show proof of receipt of at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Officials in New York said they were looking for Jacob K. Javits was working to locate the attendees at the November 19-21 Anime NYC 2021 convention, held at the Convention Center.
The conference, held just days before the new edition was reported by officials in South Africa, was held as New York City prepared to host the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and after the US opened up to vaccinate international travelers. The crowd had returned.
Officials in the city of 8.8 million said they expected it to be a matter of time before the new version was reported in the city.
“We must recognize that there is community spread of the variant in our city,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement.
The Minnesota man began experiencing mild symptoms on November 22. According to health officials in his home state, he was vaccinated in early November and received a booster shot. He sought a COVID-19 test on November 24, but his symptoms have subsided, officials said.
November 22 was the same day that the infected person in the California case returned to the US from South Africa. The California traveler, who was vaccinated, developed mild symptoms and tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday.
Much is unknown about the new variant, including whether it is more contagious – as some health officials have suspected – whether it makes people more seriously ill, and whether it will thwart the vaccine. could.
Omicron is classified as a “concern type” by the World Health Organization as scientists work to determine how it might compare with the major delta variant in terms of transmissibility and severity. Scientists are also studying the extent to which current vaccines and treatments protect against omicrons.
Scientists in South Africa reported it first, but the samples came from several countries in southern Africa. And health officials in the Netherlands now say it was found there before it was detected in South Africa.
Hochul said the case involving the visitor from Minnesota underscored the need for everyone who is eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or to receive a booster shot if they haven’t already.
“There is a way to address this – New Yorkers, get vaccinated, boosted and ready,” the Democrat said.
New York City Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi urged those attending the event to get tested.
“It’s likely this is not an isolated case, meaning there is ongoing community spread of the Omicron version in NYC,” Chokshi posted on Twitter.
A website for the convention says that the anime is a creation of Leftfield Media, an events company based in NYC Shelton, Connecticut. A company spokesperson did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.
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