As the number of covid-19 cases and hospitalizations in Northwest Arkansas and the state increases, the omicron variant is causing international alarm.
The new variant was first found in the U.S. on Wednesday in a person who had traveled from South Africa to California. Since then it has been identified in a growing list of states, according to media reports.
No cases of the variant had been identified in Arkansas as of Friday, said Danyelle McNeill, public information officer for the Arkansas Department of Health. The state since June 25 has sent 2% of positive cases, or about 9,747, for genetic sequencing, according to the department.