Second Omicron case in United States detected in Minnesota man

A second case of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus was detected in the U.S. in a Minnesota resident who recently returned home from an anime convention in New York City, the Minnesota Department of Health announced Thursday.

The person infected had recently attended an anime convention at the Javits Center in New York City from Nov. 19 to Nov. 21, according to White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.

He was identified as a vaccinated, adult male who developed mild symptoms on Nov. 22 and got tested for COVID on Nov. 24. The symptoms have now resolved. All contact tracing will be conducted through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and public health officials, Psaki added.

The Minnesota Department of Health issued a statement saying epidemiologists are investigating the case alongside New York City experts and the CDC.

“Having a robust virus surveillance system in place allowed MDH to quickly identify Omicron once it entered the state and made it more likely that Minnesota would be among the first states to find the variant,” the statement read.

The delta variant remains the most common strain found in the United States. Experts are continuing to urge people to get vaccinated, take their booster shot when they’re eligible and continue to wear a mask and practice social distancing.