5 cases of omicron variant identified in Alameda County, mild symptoms - SF Gate

Twelve Alameda County residents who attended a wedding in Wisconsin last week tested positive for COVID-19, and five of them have been diagnosed with the omicron variant, health authorities said Friday.

The Alameda County Department of Public Health said genomic sequencing data that identifies the variant is not yet available for all 12 cases. .

Much remains unknown about omicron, including whether it is more contagious, as some health authorities suspect, whether it can thwart vaccines and whether it makes people as sick as the original strain.

The omicron variant was first identified in a U.S.