YOLO COUNTY, Calif. — The first case of the omicron variant of COVID-19 was detected in Yolo County, the Yolo County Department of Public Health confirmed Thursday.
According to the department, a West Sacramento adult got a routine, free coronavirus test at Yolo County's "Healthy Davis Together" testing site. All samples from that testing facility are sent to the UC Davis Genome Center which tests for variants of COVID-19, such as omicron.
At the genome center, scientists identified the omicron variant in a patient's test sample. The patient, who was said to be vaccinated and to have received a booster shot, is now in isolation and contact tracing began after the discovery.
"I think the thing that everyone needs to know is that they should be concerned and they should take precautions as we have been doing the entire time," said John Fout, spokesperson for Yolo County.
The county's department of health said the patient had recently returned to the area after traveling to New York and Maryland. Fout said the person's symptoms have been reported as mild.
“The detection of the potentially highly transmissible omicron variant is concerning, especially with more people traveling and visiting with friends and family for the holidays,” said Dr. Aimee Sisson, Yolo County Public Health Officer.
Dr. Sisson said people in her county should get vaccinated, get booster shots and get tested.
Tuesday, health officials in Sacramento announced that low concentrations of the omicron variant were found in a Sacramento waste water sample. No confirmed cases of the omicron variant have been detected in Sacramento County.
With holidays approaching and in light of the detection of the omicron variant, the Yolo County Department of Public Health warned residents to be cautious in a statement reading in part, "If you are vaccinated and planning to travel or gather, it’s recommended that you get tested one to three days prior to and three to five days after traveling or gathering."
"In general, we're concerned about the Omicron variant because what we've seen is that it has a lot more mutations and it seems as if it's more contagious right now," Fout said.
Fout emphasized vaccination, saying that people are seven times less likely to get sick, 12 times less likely to get hospitalized and 17 times less likely to die.
This Sunday, Yolo County will host a large community vaccine clinic at the county's Health and Human Services Agency building in Woodland where boosters and pediatric doses will available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. A similar clinic will take place in West Sacramento Friday at Sutter Health Park.
"Those are gonna be open for long hours. We're gonna take as many walk-ups and drive-ins as we can particularly for boosters and pediatric doses," Fout said.
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