Five cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant have been reported in the New York City metropolitan area — two in Queens, one in Manhattan, one in Brooklyn, and one in Suffolk County on Long Island — officials announced Thursday.
New York is sequencing about 15 percent of all COVID-19 tests, New York City Health Commissioner David Chokshi said, and these Omicron cases indicate community spread. "This is not just people who are traveling to southern Africa or to other parts of the world where Omicron has already been identified," Chokshi said.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) tried to reassure residents, saying she had no intention of ordering lockdowns because of the Omicron variant. Compared to the beginning of the pandemic, "we are in a far better place, that people are informed," she said. "There's not a panic. It is still a public health crisis, but does not have to be a crisis that leads to shutdown." According to Hochul, the patient in Suffolk County received at least one vaccine dose, and recently traveled to South Africa.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Earlier Thursday, Minnesota health officials reported the state's first case of the Omicron variant, detected in a person who recently traveled to New York City to attend an anime convention. The first confirmed Omicron case in the United States was in San Francisco, detected in a resident who traveled to South Africa.
Researchers are now working to determine whether Omicron is more transmissible, causes severe illness, and/or is able to get through the protections offered by current COVID-19 vaccines and previous infections.
-
Five key questions about the Gaza peace dealThe Explainer Many ‘unresolved hurdles’ remain before Donald Trump’s 20-point plan can get the go-ahead
-
See the Northern Lights from these bucket list destinationsThe Week Recommends The dazzling displays can be spotted across Iceland, Sweden and parts of Canada
-
Crossword: October 7, 2025The Week's daily crossword
-
FDA OKs generic abortion pill, riling the rightSpeed Read The drug in question is a generic version of mifepristone, used to carry out two-thirds of US abortions
-
The new Stratus Covid strain – and why it’s on the riseThe Explainer ‘No evidence’ new variant is more dangerous or that vaccines won’t work against it, say UK health experts
-
Why are autism rates increasing?The Explainer Medical experts condemn Trump administration’s claim that paracetamol during pregnancy is linked to rising rates of neurodevelopmental disorder in US and UK
-
RFK Jr. vaccine panel advises restricting MMRV shotSpeed Read The committee voted to restrict access to a childhood vaccine against chickenpox
-
Texas declares end to measles outbreakSpeed Read The vaccine-preventable disease is still spreading in neighboring states, Mexico and Canada
-
RFK Jr. shuts down mRNA vaccine funding at agencySpeed Read The decision canceled or modified 22 projects, primarily for work on vaccines and therapeutics for respiratory viruses
-
Cytomegalovirus can cause permanent birth defectsThe Explainer The virus can show no symptoms in adults
-
Measles cases surge to 33-year highSpeed Read The infection was declared eliminated from the US in 2000 but has seen a resurgence amid vaccine hesitancy
