CONCERNING

Hawaii Man Tests Positive for Omicron Despite Not Leaving the State

The new case suggests the super-mutated COVID variant has already been circulating widely in Hawaii.

A Hawaii man has tested positive for the super-mutated Omicron variant of the coronavirus despite having no history of traveling outside the state. It brings the number of cases detected in the U.S. to at least eight. The man in Oahu is aged under 65, previously had COVID, and is only experiencing mild to moderate symptoms. However, the fact he hadn’t left the state indicated that Omicron has been widely circulating in the community for a while.

Oahu had only relaxed pandemic restrictions on Wednesday, allowing all restaurants, bars, gyms, social gatherings, and events to operate at 100 percent capacity. Hawaii had implemented one of the strictest lockdowns during the worst COVID surges and had begged tourists not to visit the islands. The state had been open to full vaccinated visitors, or non-vaccinated U.S. resident who test negative, since Nov. 1.