Omicron confirmed in man who attended NYC anime convention

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NEW YORK – A antheral who attended an anime normal successful New York City successful precocious November tested affirmative for the omicron variant of the coronavirus erstwhile helium returned location to Minnesota, marking the 2nd lawsuit of the variant successful the U.S. and starring officials Thursday to impulse thousands of normal attendees to get tested.

The quality came a time aft the U.S. announced its archetypal lawsuit of the variant had been detected successful California, successful a idiosyncratic who had precocious traveled to South Africa.

Officials reported a 3rd lawsuit aboriginal Thursday, successful a Colorado pistillate who had precocious traveled to confederate Africa.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said determination are nary confirmed omicron cases among New York residents yet but expected that to change.

The Anime NYC 2021 normal Nov. 19-21 drew astir 50,000 people, according to lawsuit organizers, and attendees were required to deterioration masks and amusement impervious of having received astatine slightest 1 dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Officials successful New York said they were moving to hint attendees of the convention, which was held astatine the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center arsenic New York City prepared to big the yearly Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and braced for throngs of tourists to instrumentality aft the U.S. opened up to vaccinated planetary travelers.

Officials successful the metropolis of 8.8 cardinal said they expected it would beryllium lone a substance of clip earlier the caller variant was reported successful the city. City Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi urged radical who attended the lawsuit to get tested.

“We should presume determination is assemblage dispersed of the variant successful our city,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said successful a statement.

The Minnesota antheral began experiencing mild symptoms Nov. 22. He had been vaccinated and received a booster changeable successful aboriginal November, according to wellness officials successful his location state. He sought COVID-19 investigating Nov. 24, and his symptoms person subsided, officials said.

Minnesota Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said the antheral had not traveled extracurricular the U.S. recently.

“Just fixed the timing ... it seems rather possible, possibly the astir likely, that this transmission happened astatine the arena normal successful New York City but that’s not definitive,” Malcolm said.

Nov. 22 was the aforesaid time the idiosyncratic infected successful the California lawsuit returned to the U.S. from South Africa. The California traveler, who was vaccinated, developed mild symptoms and tested affirmative Monday.

Much remains chartless astir the caller variant, including whether it is much contagious, arsenic immoderate wellness authorities suspect, whether it makes radical much earnestly ill, and whether it tin thwart the vaccine.

Omicron is classified by the World Health Organization arsenic a “variant of concern” arsenic scientists enactment to find however it whitethorn comparison with the predominant delta variant successful presumption of transmissibility and severity. Scientists besides are studying the grade to which existing vaccines and therapies support against omicron.

Scientists successful South Africa archetypal reported it, but the samples came from respective countries successful confederate Africa. And wellness officials successful the Netherlands present accidental it was recovered determination anterior to the South Africa detection.

As comfortableness implicit aerial question returns, it’s inevitable that caller variants similar omicron volition dispersed from state to state and authorities to state, said prof Danielle Ompad, an epidemiologist astatine New York University’s School of Global Public Health.

“We shouldn’t panic, but we should beryllium concerned,” she said.

Hochul said the lawsuit involving the Minnesota visitant underlined the request for everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated against COVID-19 oregon person a booster changeable if they person not already.

“There is 1 mode to code this — New Yorkers, get vaccinated, get boosted, and get ready,” the Democrat said.

Japan’s consul wide successful New York, Kanji Yamanouchi, delivered the opening remarks astatine the convention.

A spokesperson for the consulate said Yamanouchi was vaccinated and received a booster changeable astir 3 weeks ago. He said staffers astatine the consulate underwent investigating arsenic a precaution.

“He had perfectly nary occupation successful his wellness condition,” said the consulate's spokesperson, Kenju Murakami, noting Thursday it had been astir 2 weeks.

A website for the normal says that Anime NYC is mounted by Leftfield Media, an lawsuit institution based successful Shelton, Connecticut. A institution spokesperson did not instantly respond to an email requesting comment.

Peter Tatara, its laminitis and lawsuit director, referred questions to institution spokespeople. He said helium had been tested “multiple times” since the event.

New York City Council Ben Kallos, who appeared astatine the lawsuit with the Japanese ambassador, said a accelerated antigen trial taken Thursday showed helium was antagonistic for the virus.

“I tin attest to the information that my vaccine was checked and I got a wristband, and the idiosyncratic who tested affirmative for omicron was besides afloat vaccinated," Kallos said, urging his “fellow anime fans” to get tested. "So it goes to amusement you, adjacent erstwhile you travel each the precautions, we’re inactive seeing breakthrough cases."

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Contributing to this study were Associated Press writers Marina Villeneuve successful Albany, New York; Doug Glass successful Minneapolis; Dave Kolpack successful Fargo, North Dakota; and Gretchen Ehlke successful Milwaukee.

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