The first two cases of the COVID-19 Omicron variant have been detected in Bexar County through genome testing conducted by UT Health San Antonio, according to local health officials.
“Metro Health has been monitoring this situation the past few weeks as it has been unfolding around the globe, so we expected to see cases in Bexar County eventually,” Metro Health Director Claude A. Jacob said in an emailed statement.
Vaccination remains the best protection against COVID-19, Jacob added. He encouraged residents who haven’t been fully vaccinated and boosted to do so — especially prior to holiday gatherings.
The samples of the Omicron variant were collected from patients on Nov. 27 and Dec. 7, according to UT Health San Antonio. The school’s sequencing work is funded by San Antonio Metropolitan Health District and the Texas Department of State Health Services.
For a list of pop-up vaccination clinics, visit the city of San Antonio’s COVID-19 information page or call 311 and select option 8.
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This article appears in Dec 1-14, 2021.
