Omicron updates: COVID outbreak reported on cruise ship docking in New Orleans
At least 10 people on board have tested positive for the virus.
As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.2 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 785,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
Just 59.6% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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LA County detects 1st omicron case
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said Thursday evening it has confirmed its first case of the omicron variant.
The county resident had recently traveled to South Africa, returning via London on Nov. 22, and the infection "is most likely travel-related," the department said.
The person is fully vaccinated and their symptoms are improving without medical care, health officials said. Several close contacts have all tested negative.
This is the second confirmed case of omicron in California, following identification Wednesday in a resident of San Francisco who had recently traveled to South Africa.
Preliminary analysis suggests omicron might be more likely to lead to reinfection
A new study from South Africa suggests that the new omicron variant might be more likely to lead to COVID-19 reinfection than prior variants, though more research is needed.
The study, which is not peer-reviewed, found that in November, there was an uptick in the rate of reinfections seen within three months of a primary infection, compared to prior surges driven by the delta and beta variants.
Researchers, who reviewed records of over 2.7 million people in South Africa with COVID-19 infections in 2020 and 2021, assumed many cases in November were caused by omicron, even though the first cases of the variant were not detected there until late November.
The vaccination status of individuals with suspected reinfections was unknown in the study, so it is unclear if they had immunity from prior infection or vaccination.
-ABC News' Dr. John Brownstein, Dr. Esra Demirel and Sony Salzman
5 omicron cases identified in New York
Five cases of the new COVID-19 variant omicron have been detected in New York state, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced in a press conference Thursday evening.
Hochul emphasized that battling the delta variant is more of a challenge right now, adding that all five cases have been described as mild.
One case was located in Suffolk County, while three others were in New York City -- two in Queens and one in Brooklyn, Hochul said. A fifth suspected case has also been detected, the governor said, but did not provide details.
-ABC News' Will Gretsky
NYC mandating vaccine for employees at religious, private schools
New York City's latest health mandate will require all nonpublic school employees to be vaccinated by Dec. 20, affecting 56,000 employees of 930 yeshivas, Catholic schools and other private schools.
-ABC News' Aaron Katersky
3 omicron cases detected in Maryland
Three cases of the omicron variant have been detected in Maryland, all among Baltimore area residents, Gov. Larry Hogan said.
One of these people, who is vaccinated, recently traveled to South Africa. The second case is someone in their household who is not vaccinated, Hogan said.
The third case is unrelated; this person, who is vaccinated, has no recent travel, Hogan said.
No one required hospitalization, he said.