COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina's first cases of the omicron variant have been discovered in the Charleston area.
It was only a matter of time before the newest COVID-19 variant was detected in the Palmetto State, as it's been found in most states by now. The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) found the three cases Tuesday night in their genome sequencing lab.
The discovery is causing state health officials to once again urge South Carolinians to take safety precautions to avoid another surge of coronavirus cases.
The Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) held a press briefing Wednesday to discuss omicron. The agency's public health director, Dr. Brannon Traxler, said "we know this variant is all over the country and all over the world, so we all need to take the same precautions, whether we are 10 minutes down the road from our house or across the state or across the country.”
Dr. Traxler said all three detected omicron cases are fully vaccinated adults, but they do not have the booster shot.
“Being fully vaccinated may not be as protective against omicron as it was to delta and previous strains," said Traxler, "but that’s when getting the booster is so important because that booster has shown to increase it back up.”
Traxler cited the National Institute of Health, saying vaccinated people that have the booster shot are showing more protection against omicron.
The three adults that tested positive for the omicron variant all have flu-like symptoms, according to Traxler, but do not need to be hospitalized.
Dr. Julie Hirschhorn with MUSC said they found the three omicron cases out of 97 positive COVID-19 cases that they sequenced since the start of December.
Both MUSC and DHEC sequence positive cases for the omicron variant if they meet certain criteria.
Health officials believe omicron is likely widespread, and are urging people to wear masks and practice social distancing in public and get vaccinated to help avoid another holiday surge.