OHIO — State health officials said as of Monday morning, no cases of the omicron COVID-19 variant have been detected in the Ohio.
.@OHdeptofhealth says it "is aware of the B.1.1.529 (Omicron) variant. At this time, we have not seen any cases in Ohio. We are closely monitoring developments regarding this variant." @SpectrumNews1OH
— Josh Rultenberg (@JoshRultNews) November 29, 2021
The Ohio Department of Health said it's "closey monitoring" developments regarding the variant.
Many nations are closing their borders following the discovery of the new variant, B.1.1.529, which was first found in South Africa and classified by the World Health Organization on Friday. What's not known is where it initially surfaced. The variant has been found in countries on both sides of the world, including Britain, Germany, Belguim, Israel, the Netherlands, Australia and Hong Kong.
Multiple countries have already announced travel restrictions to other nations, including the U.S., in hopes of stopping the spread. However, the WHO warned against issuing travel restrictions, saying border closures could wreak havoc on lives and further postpone research that will be needed to examine the effects of the new variant.
President Joe Biden addressed the nation Monday, saying the variant is a "cause for concern, not a cause for panic," and urged Americans to get their vaccinations and boosters.
“We have the best vaccine in the world, the best medicines, the best scientists, and we're learning more every single day. And we'll fight this variant with scientific and knowledgeable actions and speed, not chaos and confusion," Biden said. "A fully vaccinated booster person is the most protected against COVID.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, warned Biden during a meeting that COVID-19 vaccines "are likely to provide a degree of protection against severe cases," but that it would take up to two weeks to learn more about the new variant. Fauci said Sunday omicron will "inevitably" make its way to the U.S., but put more emphasis on whether the nation will be prepared for it.
"The preparation that we have ongoing for what we're doing now with the Delta variant just needs to be revved up," he continued, adding: "The bottom line of that is the preparation by getting more and more people vaccinated and getting the fully vaccinated boosted."