MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – The first person who tested positive for the COVID-19 omicron variant in Miami-Dade County was unvaccinated and asymptomatic, a news release from CardioPath stated.
According to the CEO of the private pathology lab in South Miami, which detected the variant, the patient was admitted to a hospital due to “conditions unrelated to SARS-CoV-2.”
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CEO Aron Banks said the Florida Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were immediately notified about the findings.
“CardioPath remains committed to supporting public health and commends Mayor Daniella Levine Cava for her commitment to ensuring that this pandemic is eradicated,” Banks said in a statement Monday. “We also encourage the importance of vaccination, testing, and social precautions going into the holiday season.”
Experts believe travel and close gatherings from the Thanksgiving Day holiday is fueling the latest surge that is already being felt across the Midwest and northeast, where temperatures are colder, and people are heading indoors.
Many hospitals in those regions are already stretched thin.
In South Florida, hospital bed capacity is currently not an issue, but Miami-Dade leaders acknowledge things can change quickly.
On Saturday, Levine Cava said, in a tweet, that, “News that the first official case of Omicron has been detected in Miami-Dade County is a frustrating reminder that this pandemic is not over, and we must continue to take key measures to protect ourselves and our loved ones during the holiday season.”
News that the first official case of Omicron has been detected in Miami-Dade County is a frustrating reminder that this pandemic is not over, and we must continue to take key measures to protect ourselves and our loved ones during the holiday season.
— Daniella Levine Cava (@MayorDaniella) December 11, 2021