A woman who recently traveled from South Africa is both New Jersey and Georgia's first confirmed case of the omicron variant of COVID-19, authorities said late Friday.
"Now is the time to start thinking about how our actions can affect those we love around us," Philadelphia's Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole said in Friday's statement.
President Joe Biden called the new COVID-19 variant omicron a cause for concern but "not a cause for panic" Monday and said he was not considering any widespread U.S. lockdown.
With data still being compiled about the new omicron COVID mutation, White House Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci says talk of lockdowns is premature, but he did not rule them out.