A Cheshire County adult who was infected while traveling out of state is the first state resident known to have come down with the omicron variant of COVID-19.
The person “was considered fully vaccinated but was not yet boosted, had a mild illness and has since recovered during home isolation,” according to an announcement Monday from the Department of Health and Human Services.
DHHS said the person had been “exposed to another person who subsequently was identified with the omicron variant infection. … Close contacts are taking appropriate public health precautions. There have been no identified public or occupational exposures.”
The highly contagious omicron variant has been found in a number of countries around the world and in several U.S. states, so it’s no surprise to see it show up in New Hampshire. The variant was only identified last month, so details about how it will affect the severity and spread of COVID-19 are still uncertain.
Early data suggest the omicron variant causes more infection in people who are unvaccinated or were previously infected, but vaccination and booster appear to reduce or eliminate the threat.
“Anybody 5 years of age or older should get vaccinated against COVID-19, including people who were previously infected with COVID-19,” said State Epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan. “And people who have already completed a primary COVID-19 vaccine series should get a booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in order to have optimal protection against both the currently circulating Delta variant, and the new emerging omicron variant.”
DHHS said the Public Health Laboratories “prioritized this specimen for genetic sequencing when the person’s PCR test showed a pattern potentially concerning for an omicron variant infection.” The state lab and private labs under contract will continue to conduct genetic sequencing on positive COVID-19 specimens. Omicron cases will be reported on the state’s COVID-19 Dashboard.