NEW YORK, Dec 3 (KUNA) -- New York Governor Kathy Hochul has confirmed the state's first five cases of the novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) variant of Omicron.
"This is not a cause for major alarm," Hochul said in a statement late Thursday, adding that she was not announcing a shutdown or other drastic measures in response to the cases.
She encouraged residents in the state with a population of 20 million to get vaccinated to protect themselves from the coronavirus and urged them not to panic.
Providing basic details about the five cases, Hochul said: a 67-year-old woman in Suffolk County who returned from South Africa, had mild symptoms and had received at least one dose of a vaccine; two residents in Queens; one resident in Brooklyn and another person in New York City who had traveled recently. The woman in Suffolk County tested positive on Nov. 30.
Four U.S. states, notably California, New York, Minnesota and Colorado have reported Omicron variant infections. (end) asf.mt