NEW YORK - Five people in New York have been infected with the omicron variant of the coronavirus, Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Thursday evening.
Four of the cases are in New York City and one is in Suffolk County, the governor added. "No cause for alarm. We just want to make sure that the public is aware of information when we receive it," Hochul said in a joint news conference with Mayor Bill de Blasio.
De Blasio said the geographic spread of the positive tests suggested the variant was undergoing "community spread" in the city.
Two cases are in Queens and one is in Brooklyn. The fourth case may be linked to travel. "We should assume there is community spread of the variant in our city," de Blasio said.The patient in Suffolk County is a.