The New Mexico Department of Health announced Monday the first confirmed case of the omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus in New Mexico. According to a press release on the DOH’s website, the case was first identified Sunday on a test administered to a female in Bernalillo County. The positive individual then reported recent travel to a state where omicron cases were reported. The woman was seen at a local emergency room, then discharged later in stable condition.
The DOH announced they would be conducting a case investigation on this positive result.
The omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus was first identified by the World Health Organization on November 24th, and later classified as a “variant of concern” by the Centers for Disease Control.
The CDC describes the variant has displayed “evidence of an increase in transmissibility, and more severe disease” and “significant reduction in neutralization of antibodies generated during the previous infection or vaccination”
As of right now, the omicron variant has been confirmed in at least 30 states and the District of Columbia.