Omicron Variant Found in Thurston, Pierce and King Counties

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Washington state health authorities Saturday confirmed a total of three cases of the omicron variant of the coronavirus have been found in Thurston, Pierce and King counties.

The patients, two men and one woman, range in age from 20 to 39, the Washington State Department of Health said in a news release.

“We knew that it was a matter of time before omicron was sequenced in our state and so we were anticipating this very news,” said Dr. Umair Shah, the state’s health secretary. “We strongly urge people to get vaccinated and get their boosters as soon as possible to maximize their level of protection from any variant.”

Confirmation came with lab results midday Saturday from the the UW Medicine Virology Lab, and patients are still being informed. Details about their conditions are unknown.

This early in the investigation, Department of Health officials do not believe the cases are related, but the travel history of the patients is unknown.



In a statement Saturday evening, Gov. Jay Inslee said, “We knew this day was inevitable, but the good news is we have more tools at our disposal to fight the virus than at any previous point in the pandemic, and we must continue to protect ourselves and our communities.”

Dr. Jeff Duchin, health officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County, said in a statement that the arrival of this mutation doesn’t mean the community will be set back to the worst days of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We are not going back to square one of the pandemic,” he said. “Omicron may pose new challenges that we will need to respond to, but compared to the early days of the pandemic, we know much more about COVID-19, and we’re better prepared for it.”

He urged people to get vaccinated and to get their booster doses when eligible, and to adopt the standard COVID-19 prevention measures: Wear good-quality masks indoors, improve indoor air ventilation and avoid crowded indoor spaces.

“We know layered protections work together to maximally reduce risk, and that will continue to be the case for delta and for omicron if that becomes a dominant strain circulating in our community,” Duchin said.