The highly transmissible omicron variant of the coronavirus has been detected in Monroe County.
That information was released late Wednesday afternoon by County Executive Adam Bello.
Bello said the omicron variant was detected by researchers at UR Medicine Labs, and he said that this is not a surprise, since data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control released this week showed that omicron likely accounts for as many as 73% of all current COVID cases nationally.
The county executive said the results underscore the need for residents to keep following common sense guidelines throughout the holiday season, and he said vaccination is still the top protection against serious illness and hospitalization from COVID-19, with the booster shots especially important to provide protection against the omicron variant.
The county expects to have more details available on Thursday from Public Health Commissioner Dr. Michael Mendoza and the chief medical officers of URMC and Rochester Regional Health.
Monroe County’s Department of Public Health also reported another 754 cases of COVID-19, including 568 new laboratory-confirmed cases and 186 cases reported from positive home tests.
