The first person known to have become infected with the COVID-19 omicron variant in King County has experienced mild illness and did not report any recent travel, according to health officials.
Public Health — Seattle & King County officials said in a blog post on Wednesday that the lack of travel suggests the variant has been spreading locally. There is no evidence of widespread exposure from this case, officials added.
Health officials said on Saturday they had identified the first omicron case in King County in a fully vaccinated woman in her 20s who tested positive on Nov. 29. Officials also said Saturday that two other cases had been identified — one in a Pierce County man in his 20s and one in a Thurston County man in his 30s. It’s unclear if either had been vaccinated and additional details about their illnesses haven’t been released.
Health officials have said they expect to see more cases. More than 40 people in the U.S. have been found to be infected with the omicron variant so far, and more than three-quarters of them had been vaccinated, the chief of the CDC said Wednesday. But she said nearly all of them were only mildly ill.
State Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah is again urging people ages 5 and older to get vaccinated and get booster shots to maximize protection from all variants.