Omicron variant detected in Cheshire County resident, is first NH case
Dec. 13—A Cheshire County adult's COVID-19 case marks the first detection of the omicron variant in a New Hampshire resident, the state health department announced Monday afternoon.
The person, who has since recovered from a mild illness while isolating at home, had traveled to a different state and was exposed to someone later identified as having been infected with the omicron variant, according to a news release from the N.H. Department of Health and Human Services. The local resident had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 but had not yet received a booster shot, the release says.
Omicron was confirmed through genetic sequencing, which was done after the person's PCR test showed a pattern indicating a potential infection with the variant, according to the health department.
"Anybody 5 years of age or older should get vaccinated against COVID-19, including people who were previously infected with COVID-19," State Epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan said in the release. "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."
