Kathy Hochul has an important update on the Omicron variant in New York

The pandemic has been going on for almost 21 months in New York state and while the spring and summer saw restrictions easing, the fall saw a spike in cases that pushed politicians to take action.

One cause for concern is the new Omicron variant of COVID-19 which was detected recently in the United States and now it appears to have arrived in New York.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul provided an update on the pandemic and the potential of the Omicron variant in the state.

Hochul announced that a Minnesota resident who recently traveled to New York City tested positive for the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

The person has mild symptoms and recently attended a convention at the Javits Center in New York City.

Hochul adds that no one has tested positive in New York state yet, but it is inevitable and this development is not unexpected.

Hochul adds that they anticipate that there will be cases of the Omicron variant in New York City and that they are prepared for it. She adds that people who have not yet been vaccinated should do so, as well as the importance of booster shots.

Even though everyone at the convention at the Javits Center were to be vaccinated, Hochul recommends that everyone who attended get tested.

The Omicron variant has a few 50 mutations, of which more than 30 are on the “spike protein”, which the virus uses to attach to human cells; this makes the Omicron variant more disturbing.