Six New States Confirm Omicron Cases, Bringing Total to 11

WASHINGTON: Six new states reported their first cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant Friday, upping the number of states with confirmed cases to 11 and solidifying the variant’s presence in the U.S. New Jersey, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, and Utah joined states California, Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota, and New York in confirmed Omicron cases.

Nebraska led the number with six confirmed cases, though five of those were unvaccinated and none of them have been hospitalized. It is not yet clear how different Omicron is from other variants, including the Delta variant, but some evidence has suggested its effects are milder. The Delta variant is still the most prevalent variant in the U.S., the CDC has said.