ST. PAUL — The omicron variant of COVID-19 has reached Minnesota.

A test conducted on Nov. 24 on a Hennepin County resident was confirmed to be the new virus strain. This is only the second case of the omicron variant being found in the United States.

The Minnesota resident who contracted the omicron strain had recently traveled to New York to attend a convention. The resident first developed symptoms of the virus on Nov. 22. The individual was vaccinated and no longer has symptoms, but this incident confirms the omicron variant has been in Minnesota for at least a week but does not necessarily mean the virus is widespread. Minnesota has been at the forefront of virus sequencing.

“Since the beginning of this pandemic, Minnesota’s nation-leading genome sequencing infrastructure and strong testing network have allowed the state to quickly track the COVID-19 virus and better understand its spread,” Governor Tim Walz said in a statement. “Today, those tools detected a case of the Omicron variant in Minnesota.

“This news is concerning, but it is not a surprise. We know that this virus is highly infectious and moves quickly throughout the world. Minnesotans know what to do to keep each other safe now– get the vaccine, get tested, wear a mask indoors, and get a booster. Together, we can fight this virus and help keep Minnesotans safe.”

Minnesota Commissioner of Health Jan Malcolm said the new finding underscores the importance of continued efforts by all Minnesotans to limit the spread of COVID- 19.

“We still have more to learn about Omicron, but the most important thing we can do right now is to use the tools we have available to make it as hard as possible for this virus to spread,” Malcolm said. “In addition to vaccination and boosters, we can slow the spread of this variant and all COVID-19 variants by using the tried-and-true prevention methods of wearing masks, staying home when sick, and getting tested when appropriate.”

Allina Health’s Chief Medical Executive DR Hsieng Su said the scientific community had warned COVID-19 variants would continue to emerge until the virus was suppressed from circulating.

“While the scientific community works rapidly to answer key questions about the Omicron variant including its transmissibility, severity, and the level of protection from our current vaccines, there is a lot about the current state of COVID-19 in Minnesota that we do know and can act on now to control the spread in our community,” Su said.

Recommendations from health officials remained the same as before.

Su acknowledged the health system in Minnesota was being strained by daily COVID cases.

“Allina Health is being strained beyond its limits on a daily basis trying to meet the existing health care needs of the community,” Su said. “We are in the thick of an extended fourth COVID surge that is being compounded by staffing shortages and high volumes of non-COVID medical needs exacerbated by delayed care and seasonal illnesses like influenza.”

Su pleaded for the public to make a commitment to sharing some of the burden caused by the pandemic.

“We are at a critical point in the pandemic journey and our caregivers need help,” Su said. “The real front line has always been in the community and the decisions we make every day about our actions in the midst of this pandemic. Minnesota has a history of rising to challenges and we know that by working together we can do so again to protect the health and safety of our communities.”

In Brown County, Public Health Director Karen Moritz said hospitals are experiencing a great deal of fatigue as the pandemic continues to surge. Some Minnesota hospitals have been forced to reduce or eliminate elective surgeries.

Moritz said news of the omicron variant reaching Minnesota is unfortunate, but the severity of this variant will not be known for some time. Greater testing in research is needed to determine if omicron spreads faster or if it is resistant to the vaccines.

“We do want to caution that viruses can change,” Moritz said. The continued mutations of COVID make it hard to predict how the virus will impact the public.

Moritz said the recommendations for slowing the spread of the virus have remained the same. People need to wear masks indoors and at crowded outdoor events. Taking one of the available vaccines and the booster will also reduce the spread.

Brown County Public Health has extended booster clinic hours. Booster clinic hours are 2 p.m. 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in December. A special booster clinic will be held 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11 at the New Ulm High School. Appointments can be made at www.co.brown.mn.us/covidvaccine or call us at 507-233-6820 to schedule a COVID-19 booster dose.