Less than a week after it was first detected in South Africa, U.S. health officials said Wednesday that the country’s first case of the new Omicron coronavirus variant has been confirmed in California.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, announced the news at a White House press briefing.

“The California and San Francisco departments of public health and the CDC have confirmed that a recent case of COVID-19 among an individual in California was caused by Omicron variant,” Fauci said. 

The individual was a fully vaccinated traveler who returned from South Africa on Nov. 22 and tested positive on Nov. 29, Fauci said. The person, who has not been