Three people in Austin and Travis County have preliminary positive test results for the COVID-19 omicron variant, according to a news release from Austin Public Health.
"It was inevitable," Austin Mayor Steve Adler said of the detection. "It is now more important than ever to get the vaccine and your booster shots."
The University of Texas at Austin Health Services notified APH of the results, though it will take several days for genetic sequencing to confirm with certainty that the three patients have the omicron variant, the release said.
The three people infected have not traveled internationally, which offers a "strong indication" of community transmission of the omicron variant in the area, the release said.
