The first Omicron-related death in Texas and possibly in the U.S. has been announced by health officials in the state.
A middle-aged man who was unvaccinated had been infected with the Omicron variant of Covid-19 before his death. Harris Country Public Health Officials said he had preexisting health conditions that put him at more risk.
“This is a reminder of the severity of COVID-19 and its variants. We urge all residents who qualify to get vaccinated and get their booster shot if they have not already,” Barbie Robinson, executive director of Harris County Public Health, said in a statement.
The U.K., last week, reported the first publicly confirmed death from the Omicron variant, WebMD reported. Health officials said 12 people in the country have died due to the variant, and 104 people are hospitalized.
The Omicron variant now accounts for nearly three-quarters of new COVID-19 cases in the U.S., according to CDC data published Monday, which was based on genomic sequencing from last week.
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Omicron has displaced the Delta variant, which was the dominant form of the coronavirus for months. Omicron now makes up about 73.2% of new cases, while Delta is about 26.6% and .1% consists of other variants. Just one week earlier, Delta made up 87% of cases, and Omicron made up 12.6%.
In some parts of the country, the share of Omicron cases is even higher than the nationwide average. The CDC estimated that Omicron makes up more than 90% of new cases in parts of the Northeast, Northwest, South, and Southeast.
