1st Omicron COVID Variant Case Confirmed In New Jersey

NEW JERSEY - The first Omicron variant case has been detected in New Jersey, Governor Phil Murphy and New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli announced Friday.

The New Jersey Department of Health identified the case of the COVID-19 Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) in a traveler to the state. The individual, an adult female, who is a fully vaccinated Georgia resident, had recently traveled to South Africa, officials said.

The Omicron variant was first identified last week in South Africa. Since then, clusters of cases were also identified in about two dozen nations, including Canada and several countries in Europe.

Since testing positive on Nov. 28, the woman has remained in isolation. She experienced moderate symptoms and is now recovering after receiving care in a North Jersey emergency department, officials said.

The New Jersey Department of Health laboratory performed sequencing on the specimen to confirm it was the Omicron variant.

“The Omicron variant is among us, and we need to take steps to stop its spread. It is vital that residents remain as vigilant as possible as we await more information about the variant,” said Murphy. “Vaccinations and mask wearing have proven to be an effective tool to reduce the spread of COVID-19, and I urge everyone ages 18 and over to receive a booster.”

On Nov. 26, the World Health Organization classified this new variant, B.1.1.529, as a Variant of Concern and named it Omicron. On Nov. 30, the United States also classified it as a Variant of Concern.

“With cases increasing and the identification of the Omicron in the state, the fight against COVID-19 is not over,” said Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli. “We are still learning about the Omicron variant, but we have tools to stop the spread of the virus, most important among them is to get vaccinated and get a booster dose. The public should continue to mask up, get tested if they have symptoms, physically distance, avoid crowded events, stay home when sick and wash hands frequently.”

Garden State Readiness

Chief Scientific Officer for Hackensack Meridian Health(HMH) David Perlin said that he believes New Jersey is in a better position to respond to the new variant with their testing infrastructure.

HMH, the largest healthcare network in the State that covers a large population and geographic distribution, has been working in partnership with Quest diagnostics over the past nine months to evaluate all virus-positive nasal swabs for virus variants.

"Using this system, we have evaluated thousands of viruses. The data is evaluated rapidly and reported within our network, as well as to the [New Jersey Department Of Health]. We also have partnerships with the NJDOH and NY Genome Center to sequence viruses to confirm our rapid variant testing and evaluate local evolution of viruses," said Perlin.

Currently, Persichilli said the state's lab and state's commercial labs are sequencing about 1,200 specimens a week. Sequencing decodes the genes in the specimen to learn more about the virus and how it changes over time.

As of Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a person in California was the first in the U.S. to test positive for the omicron variant of the coronavirus. The patient was fully vaccinated and had returned from South Africa on Nov. 22, the San Francisco Department of Health said. Read More: 1st U.S. Omicron Variant Case Detected In CA

With the variant swiftly spreading, timing is of the essence. Perlin's lab has developed and implemented rapid molecular detection technology that can identify the major virus variants, including Omicron, in just over 1 hour.

"We can evaluate hundreds of viruses per day," said Perlin.

Much mystery surrounds the newly identified variant, which was dubbed a "variant of concern" by the World Health Organization(WHO) on Friday.

Persichilli said studies are underway to evaluate the transmissibility, the severity, and reinfection risk of the variant.

"For now, it is unclear whether Omicron will compete or overtake Delta in terms of transmission. Initial reports suggest that Omicron infections are mild, but we will need to see if that continues with new infections. It is just too early," said Perlin.

To protect against this new variant, the WHO recommended accelerating COVID-19 vaccination coverage as rapidly.

"Increasing our booster uptake will be vital in blunting the impact of this and any other new variant that may occur. Booster doses provide essential protection with waning immunity and particularly the Delta variant having a significant impact in New Jersey," said Persichilli.
Persichilli stressed the importance of boosters as she pointed to a recent science magazine study that found the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to decrease from 86.4 percent effectiveness to 13.1 percent, Moderna from 89.2 percent to 58 percent, and Pfizer from 86.9 percent to 43.3 percent.

The New Jersey Department of Health has been working with other states, local health departments, clinical laboratories, hospitals, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to rapidly identify individuals who may have been infected with the Omicron variant. Studies show after getting vaccinated against COVID-19, protection against the virus and the ability to prevent infection may decrease over time.

Booster doses provide essential additional protection. While more than 70 percent of residents have received their primary vaccine series, only 31 percent of residents eligible have received a booster.

The CDC recommends that all individuals 5 and older should get vaccinated, and those 18 and older receive a booster dose.

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