(Reuters)

The United States identified a first case of the new Omicron coronavirus (COVID-19) variant in California, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Wednesday (December 1).

The US health agency said the person was a traveller who returned from South Africa and was fully vaccinated.

For days, US health officials have said the new variant—first detected in South Africa and announced on November 25—was likely already in the United States as dozens of other countries also detected its arrival.

Omicron, dubbed a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization (WHO), is being studied to see if it is more contagious or causes severe illness than other variants.

The variant has also been detected in several countries including Spain, Canada, Britain, Austria and Portugal.