THE UNITED STATES (US) — Omicron cases in the US hit 79% of fully vaccinated persons as of this time, a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) posted, Friday, Dec. 10, 2021.
The report shows that of 43 cases of COVID-19 attributed to the Omicron variant, 34 or 79% had been fully vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccines authorized and approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Fourteen or 33% of them had received booster shots. It also shows that 25 or almost 60% of these Omicron variant cases occurred in persons aged 18 – 39 years.
Characteristics of reported confirmed COVID-19 Omicron cases in the US as of December 1–8, 2021
| Age Group Years | Number (%) |
| <18 | 4 (9) |
| 18 – 39 | 25 (58) |
| 40 – 64 | 10 (23) |
| ≥65 | 4 (9) |
| COVID-19 Vaccination Status | |
| Unvaccinated | 8 (19) |
| Partially Vaccinated | 0 (-) |
| Vaccinated | 20 (47) |
| Vaccinated plus an additional dose | 14 (33) |
| Unknown | 1 (2) |
The report also said that the most commonly reported Omicron variant symptoms were cough, fatigue, and congestion, or runny nose. No deaths have been reported so far, and exposures are identified associated with international and domestic travel, large public events, and household transmission.
In the US, the first Omicron variant case was identified on Dec. 1, 2021. As the variant has been seen rapidly emerging globally, genomic surveillance systems should have been implemented together with global information-sharing, the report said.
Meanwhile, the COVID-19 Omicron variant was reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) on Nov. 24, 2021. It was first identified in specimens collected in Botswana on Nov. 11, 2021, and in South Africa on Nov. 14, 2021. WHO named the variant Omicron on Nov. 26, 2021, and hushed it as a variant of concern on Dec. 1, 2021, the same date the US confirmed its first Omicron variant case. RQJ
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Source: SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.529 (Omicron) Variant — United States, December 1–8, 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. ePub: 10 December 2021. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7050e1
Regel Javines graduated class valedictorian both in elementary and high school and is the writer, editor, and owner of The Philippine Pundit. He is also the former editor-in-chief of the official student publication of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) – Taguig Campus, where he finished his bachelor’s degree in Office Administration. Now working on his M.A. in Philosophy at the University of San Carlos, he is quite fascinated with understanding life and existence through the lens of gnostic spirituality and ontological mathematics. Regel has been writing a blog since 2011 publishing news and commentary about government and politics, law, and various pressing social issues of interest. More >>