A second case of omicron has been confirmed, this time in Minnesota. That case was in a person who had not traveled, which means the variant has spread within the United States. Such “community spread” is an indicator that the outbreak is not contained. However, we don’t know if there are many other cases. We do know that the CDC’s network of surveillance testing has increased dramatically over the past year, so if there are more cases, they are likely to be identified.
(Surveillance testing and global vigilance are among the reasons that Ebola did not spread in the United States in 2014.)
To keep cases from arriving by air, the major change to the travel regulations is that anyone boarding a flight to the United States from another country must have a negative COVID-19 test within one day of the flight. This is a change from the prior rule, which required the test to be within three days for travelers who were fully vaccinated.
In addition, major gateway airports such as JFK in New York and SFO in California are expanding their capacity to perform testing upon arrival. Such testing remains voluntary, for now.
Under the travel rules that went into effect in early November, airlines have been required to collect information that would be needed for contact tracing if COVID-19 cases occur. The White House said that this data was helpful in tracking down people who may have been near the person who was identified Wednesday as the first confirmed case in the United States.
The White House says the most important thing for Americans to do is get vaccinated and boosted. Here’s a video from Dr. Fauci that touches on the administration’s highlights:
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Community spread of omicron identified, and more details on new travel rules
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A second case of omicron has been confirmed, this time in Minnesota. That case was in a person who had not traveled, which means the variant has spread within the United States. Such “community spread” is an indicator that the outbreak is not contained. However, we don’t know if there are many other cases. We do know that the CDC’s network of surveillance testing has increased dramatically over the past year, so if there are more cases, they are likely to be identified.
(Surveillance testing and global vigilance are among the reasons that Ebola did not spread in the United States in 2014.)
To keep cases from arriving by air, the major change to the travel regulations is that anyone boarding a flight to the United States from another country must have a negative COVID-19 test within one day of the flight. This is a change from the prior rule, which required the test to be within three days for travelers who were fully vaccinated.
In addition, major gateway airports such as JFK in New York and SFO in California are expanding their capacity to perform testing upon arrival. Such testing remains voluntary, for now.
Under the travel rules that went into effect in early November, airlines have been required to collect information that would be needed for contact tracing if COVID-19 cases occur. The White House said that this data was helpful in tracking down people who may have been near the person who was identified Wednesday as the first confirmed case in the United States.
The White House says the most important thing for Americans to do is get vaccinated and boosted. Here’s a video from Dr. Fauci that touches on the administration’s highlights: