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Three more cases of Omicron COVID-19 confirmed in New York State

Governor Kathy Hochul's office says all three of the new cases are from New York City.

ALBANY, N.Y. — Governor Kathy Hochul announced Saturday three new cases of the COVID-19 Omicron variant have been confirmed in New York State.

All three of the new cases are from New York City. There are now a total of eight people confirmed to have the COVID-19 variant in New York State; seven from New York City and one from Suffolk County.

 "The Omicron variant is here, and as anticipated we are seeing the beginning of community spread", said New York State's new Health Commissioner, Dr. Mary T. Bassett. "We continue to work closely with our partners at the national, state, and local levels". 

"At this time, we do not know how quickly Omicron will spread or how severe the symptoms of Omicron will be. What we are seeing is that the rise of cases across New York State continues to be traced to the Delta variant. We encourage all New Yorkers to use the best preventative tools we have: get vaccinated, get boosted and wear a mask."

While all of the cases are believed to be unrelated to the recent Anime NYC convention at the Javits Center, the Health Department is still urging anyone who attended the event to get tested and wear a mask in public places.

"We knew the Omicron variant was coming and we expect to see more cases. But let me be clear: We are not defenseless," Governor Hochul said. "We have the tools to help prevent the spread of this deadly virus: Get your vaccine, get your booster, and wear your mask. Let's use these tools to protect ourselves and our loved ones as we approach the holidays."

The NYSDOH Wadsworth Center Laboratory continues to actively monitor COVID-19 virus samples selected throughout the state to compare sequences and identify circulating and new variants, including Omicron.

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