Omicron variant found in Colorado woman who traveled to Africa

The Omicron variant is in Colorado.

What we know: An Arapahoe County woman who traveled throughout southern Africa on vacation and returned late last week has Colorado's first confirmed case of the latest COVID-19 variant, officials said Thursday.

• The woman was vaccinated but had not received a booster shot. She also wore a face mask during her travels, officials said, and is quarantining.
• She developed mild symptoms after returning home and no cases of community transmission are anticipated.

What they're saying: "This was expected news," Gov. Jared Polis said at a briefing announcing the local Omicron discovery.

• "Any variant that is so prevalent in the world as the Omicron variant is, we knew it wasn't a matter of if, it was a matter of when it was identified in Colorado."

What we don't know: Whether to panic.

• Public health experts are trying to determine whether the variant is more transmissible than others, causes more serious illness and can evade vaccine immunity.

Between the lines: The positive test was flagged by Tri-County public health officials given the woman's travel history and genome sequenced by the state.

• Colorado sequences about 15% of all positive COVID tests, one of the highest rates in the country, and the state also monitors wastewater for community detection.

The big picture: The Colorado case marks the third-known instance of the Omicron variant in the United States and comes only one day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the first in California. A second was reported earlier Thursday in Minnesota.

The bottom line: The arrival of the new variant may represent a setback in Colorado's efforts to quash the virus.

• The state's rates and hospitalizations were showing signs of improvement, but now Polis says all bets are off.
• “When this virus throws a spitball after a screwball, who knows where we will be two weeks from now, especially after the holiday gatherings,” the governor said.