The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says California health officials identified the first U.S. case of the omicron variant in an individual who returned from South Africa on Nov. 22. At the White House on Wednesday, Dr. Anthony Fauci — President Joe Biden’s chief pandemic adviser — reported the individual, who is fully vaccinated, has mild symptoms and is improving.
The CDC has also launched a biosurveillance program at Newark Liberty International Airport to test for the omicron strain. Passengers entering the U.S. from southern Africa will be tested when they land in Newark and at three other major airports — John F. Kennedy International Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and San Francisco International Airport.
Meanwhile, Merck’s antiviral pills are one step closer to being prescribed for COVID-19 treatment in America after a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted on Tuesday to endorse the medicine. The vote was nonbinding but clears the path to emergency authorization for the drug.
Biden’s vaccine mandate for the nation’s healthcare workers was blocked by a federal judge in Louisiana on Tuesday. The mandate was scheduled to take effect next week.
