https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/12/01/report-first-us-omicron-case-confirmed-in-california/

By Zeke Miller and Raf Casert | Associated Press

The U.S. recorded its first confirmed case of the omicron variant Wednesday — a person in California who had been to South Africa — as scientists around the world raced to establish whether the new, mutant version of the coronavirus is more dangerous than previous ones.