Public health officials announced the fifth confirmed case of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus in Los Angeles County on Wednesday.
Unlike previous cases, officials believe this case may have been broadcast locally, according to the LA County Department of Public Health.
The patient in the most recent case was fully vaccinated and had received a booster, the county health authorities said. The patient had mild symptoms and several close contacts have since tested positive and are self-isolating.
The Ministry of Health is working to determine if the additional cases in those close contacts are the Omicron variant, officials said. Some of the patients are fully vaccinated and the authorities are investigating the vaccination status of the rest.
“The identification of an Omicron case attributed to the community spread is a reminder that we must all take the necessary precautions to prevent the transmission of COVID-19,” said Barbara Ferrer, director of public health at the District. “To celebrate this holiday season with those we love, we need to overlay the safeguards that are available to us now: vaccinations, booster vaccinations, masking and testing. This is how we slow down the spread of Delta and Omicron. “
So far, the LA County Department of Public Health has counted four cases. Long Beach, which has its own health department, reported an Omicron case Tuesday in a fully vaccinated resident who had no symptoms and who had traveled abroad but not to southern Africa.
The largest proportion of confirmed Omicron cases were in people in southern Africa.
LA County reported its second and third Omicron cases on Monday: a USC student who had recently returned from the east coast and someone who had traveled from West Africa.
Officials are reminding the public that a vaccination or booster is vital when vacation trips and gatherings begin.
Confirmed cases of Omicron variants continued to surge across California, with the new case in LA County increasing the statewide number to 12.
As of Wednesday night, there had been six cases in Alameda County, five in LA County, and one in San Francisco.
California Department of Health officials announced Wednesday evening that they had confirmed a sixth Omicron case in Alameda County.
The confirmation follows the discovery last week of five cases in the county that were an outbreak involving people who flew in to a Wisconsin wedding in late November.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the Wednesday night case was related to the Wisconsin wedding cluster.
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