US reports first death due to Omicron variant
Washington: The US on Tuesday reported its first death due to the Omicron variant which is fast spreading in the country.
Officials said the deceased person was not vaccinated.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo confirmed the death and tweeted: "Sad to report the first local fatality from the Omicron variant of COVID-19. A man in his 50’s from the eastern portion of Harris County who was not vaccinated. Please - get vaccinated and boosted."
Sad to report the first local fatality from the Omicron variant of COVID-19. A man in his 50’s from the eastern portion of Harris County who was not vaccinated. Please - get vaccinated and boosted.
— Lina Hidalgo (@LinaHidalgoTX) December 20, 2021
She did not reveal the name of the person.
She also raised the COVID-19 threat level from yellow to orange.
Meanwhile, the Omicron variant causes over 73 percent of new coronavirus cases in the US, according to estimates posted Monday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reports CNN.
Support Our Journalism
We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism
IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.