The patient is a minor, unvaccinated, and as of Dec. 9, remained asymptomatic. | Pixabay/Alexandra_Koch
The patient is a minor, unvaccinated, and as of Dec. 9, remained asymptomatic. | Pixabay/Alexandra_Koch
Iowa health officials recently confirmed the first case of the omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus in the state.
The first case of the variant omicron in Iowa was identified in a Black Hawk County resident, according to a press release.
"@IAPublicHealth and @HygienicLab have confirmed the first case of the COVID-19 #Omicron variant in a BHC resident," the Black Hawk County Health Department wrote in a Dec. 9 Twitter post. "This is the first case of the Omicron identified in Iowa. The community is urged to get vaccinated and continue other COVID-19 safety measures."
The patient is a minor, unvaccinated, and as of Dec. 9, remained asymptomatic. The patient’s family has cooperated with officials and are following isolation and quarantine requirements, according to Des Moines Register.
The confirmation of a case from the new variant in the state was not a surprise as every state around Iowa has an omicron case, according to Kelly Garcia, interim director of the Iowa Department of Public Health.
Iowa's Department of Health reported that as of Dec. 8, there were 777 COVID-19 patients in Iowa hospitals and approximately three-quarters of patients were unvaccinated.
Garcia urged unvaccinated Iowans to get their vaccine and also called for those vaccinated to get their vaccine booster shots.
"This is the time that we need Iowans to step forward to contemplate that third or booster dose," Garcia said, according to Des Moines Register. "If you're in an eligible age range and have not yet had your COVID-19 vaccine, we need you to do it."
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