First 2 cases of omicron COVID variant detected in Florida, and one is in Tampa

The first two cases of the omicron COVID-19 variant were reported in Florida on Tuesday, including one case at a Tampa Bay veteran’s hospital.

The variant was first detected in South Africa on Nov. 11, according to the CDC, and has rapidly spread around the globe. Scientists are still studying whether omicron can cause more severe infections or spreads more easily than other variants, including the the delta variant.

Officials at James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital in Tampa confirmed Tuesday that someone who recently returned from international travel has tested positive for the omicron variant. The patient is experiencing only mild symptoms, according to a hospital spokesperson.

“Our providers were able to quickly detect, test, confirm and add this data to our developing understanding of this strain,” hospital communications chief Kimberly Antos said in an email.

The hospital could not confirm the vaccination status of the patient prior to contracting the omicron variant.

State health officials have also confirmed that a presumptive case of the omicron variant was detected on Monday in a COVID patient in St. Lucie County.

“Our teams conducted contact tracing to identify possible exposures and advise on necessary isolation and quarantine protocols,” FDOH-St. Lucie spokesperson Jennifer Harris said in an email.

The health department did not immediately confirm whether the St. Lucie patient had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

One concern with the new variant is how effective current COVID-19 vaccines will be against the virus, with the CDC warning that breakthrough infections are likely to occur, even for fully-vaccinated individuals.

“With other variants, like Delta, vaccines have remained effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalizations, and death,” CDC guidance on the new variant states. The recent emergence of Omicron further emphasizes the importance of vaccination and boosters.”

The Florida omicron cases have not yet been confirmed by the CDC. The agency has confirmed the presence of the omicron in 18 other states. The first U.S. case of the variant was identified in California on Dec. 1, according to the CDC.

DeSantis speaks on omicron variant

Gov. Ron DeSantis, while speaking at a Tuesday news conference in Oldsmar, said the variant has likely already been spreading in the state.

“Once you identify it in a few places around the world, it has spread, OK?” DeSantis said. “Just because you haven’t identified it somewhere doesn’t mean it’s not there.”

He suggested he would counter the variant using the same strategy he employed while the delta variant ravaged the state this summer: no lockdowns or mask requirements.

“In Florida, we won’t let them lock you down. We won’t let them restrict you,” he said. “We’re not going to let them impose mandates. We’re not going to let them close the schools. We are going to protect your freedom to make your decision.”

The one action he suggested he would take as governor to fight the variant was to expand access to treatments such as monoclonal antibodies, which can help fight the virus once it’s contracted: “This is something you have to deal with, and I think we provided good options for people if this is something they have to do, by doing these treatments.”

Regeneron announced last week that its COVID-19 antibody treatment may be less effective against the omicron variant. That finding is based on laboratory analyses and computer modeling, and there has been no direct data indicating a loss in effectiveness, according to the company. Regeneron’s chief science officer told the Wall Street Journal that testing of new drugs is currently underway and more data will be available in the coming month.

DeSantis didn’t mention COVID vaccines or their respective boosters, which can prevent infection. That’s in keeping with his approach since the summer when he backed off his support of the vaccine amid rising anti-vaccine sentiment in conservative circles.

This story was originally published December 7, 2021 at 4:17 PM with the headline "First 2 cases of omicron COVID variant detected in Florida, and one is in Tampa."