8 U.S. cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 have now been confirmed

NEW YORK, NY -- Five cases of the new Covid-19 variant Omicron have been detected in New York state, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced in a press conference Thursday evening.

Hochul emphasized that battling the Delta variant is more of a challenge right now, adding that all five cases have been described as mild.

One case was located in Suffolk County, while three others were in New York City -- two in Queens and one in Brooklyn, Hochul said. A fifth suspected case has also been detected, the governor said, but did not provide details.

Earlier Thursday, Colorado state health officials announced a case of the Omicron variant in a woman who had recently traveled to Africa.

Officials in Colorado detected the new case in a woman who is a resident of Arapahoe County, an area just east of Denver. She recently traveled to Africa as a tourist, the state health department said in a statement.

The woman is fully vaccinated, but had not received her booster shot yet, they said. She was experiencing mild symptoms, while the woman’s close contacts in Colorado had tested negative, officials said.

The New York and Colorado cases came after two other confirmed Omicron variant cases were found in California and Minnesota.

The Minnesota Department of Health said Thursday the variant was found in a man from Hennepin County who had been vaccinated and recently traveled to a convention in New York. He developed mild symptoms on Nov. 22 and sought Covid-19 testing on Nov. 24. His symptoms have subsided.

The first case of the Omicron variant in the U.S. was identified in California. The San Francisco Department of Public Health said Wednesday that the person had traveled from South Africa on Nov. 22.

Omicron is classified by the World Health Organization as a “variant of concern” as scientists work to determine how it may compare with the predominant Delta variant in terms of transmissibility and severity. Scientists also are studying the degree to which existing vaccines and therapies protect against Omicron.