First Case Of Omicron Variant In Alabama Confirmed

MONTGOMERY, AL — Alabama health officials have confirmed the first case of the omicron variant of the coronavirus in the state.

State health director Dr. Scott Harris said the report of the case is not surprising, since surrounding states have already reported cases of the new variant. Harris added in a statement Thursday that the omicron variant has likely already been in the state for weeks, and that an uptick in hospitalization for COVID-19 in the state showcases the need for more people to get vaccinated.

"The No. 1 message remains get vaccinated," Harris said. "That is the single best thing you can do to protect yourself."

Dr. Don Williamson of the Alabama Hospitals Association said health officials throughout the state were prepared to see the new variant in the state, especially after Thanksgiving, when people traveled more in a state like Alabama with such a low vaccination rate.

"People traveled more. People got together more, and more of the gatherings are indoors, and that is going to drive more spread of the disease in a population where still less than 50 percent have had two doses," Williamson said in a statement Thursday.

The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Alabama has risen since mid-November. Williamson pointed out that Alabama reported fewer than 300 cases of the virus before Thanksgiving.

However, the 7-day rolling average in Alabama has increased from 303 on Nov. 29 to 542 on Dec. 13, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University.

"Everything tells me we are in an upslope of another increase," Williamson said. "How high is it going to be? That we don’t know."

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