COVID-19 omicron variant confirmed in Minnesota resident

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Health officials say lab testing has confirmed a COVID-19 case involving the omicron variant in Minnesota.

The state Department of Health said Thursday the variant was found during its surveillance program in a specimen from a Minnesota resident who had recently traveled to New York City. Minnesota health officials say the person with the omicron variant is a man who lives in Hennepin County and had been vaccinated. The person developed mild symptoms on Nov. 22 and sought COVID-19 testing on Nov. 24.

Much remains unknown about the new variant, including whether it is more contagious, as some health authorities suspect, whether it makes people more seriously ill, and whether it can thwart the vaccine.