Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is expected to announce a new COVID-19 Advisory Committee on Monday soon after the first known case of the omicron variant was reported in Massachusetts
Wu will announce the members of the committee in a press conference at 11 a.m. Chaired by Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission, the group is expected to be made up of health care professionals as well as community, business and cultural leaders.
“As new variants are coming, we need to be ahead of that and make sure that the number one priority is that we can keep everyone safe so that our businesses can keep going so that we can keep schools open, rather than have everything shut down again,” Wu said, according to 7News.
The first reported omicron case in Massachusetts was a woman in her 20s who lives Middlesex County and had traveled out of state. She is fully vaccinated and experienced mild illness that did not require hospitalization, according to the state Department of Public Health.
On Friday, the state reported 5,179 more COVID cases. It also reported 5,170 on Thursday. Both numbers represent the highest single-day report since January.
To review the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s omicron map, read here.
Related Content:
- Omicron COVID cases ‘likely to rise’ as US combats dominant delta variant, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky says
- Omicron detected in Massachusetts: Here are all the states with reported cases of the new COVID variant
- Omicron COVID variant case identified in Massachusetts, health officials say
- COVID vaccine booster supply not an issue as Gov. Charlie Baker calls on cities and towns to expand clinics
Ad Choices