U.S. records first known omicron related death
Health officials in Texas announced Monday that it recorded the first death related to the omicron COVID-19 variant.
This is believed to be the first known recorded omicron death in the U.S., ABC News reported.
Harris County Health officials would only say the victim was "a man in his 50s," who was unvaccinated and had underlying health conditions.
Public health officials do not think omicron is more virulent than previous variants, but they do say in general vaccination and a booster shot when eligible appears to lower your risk for severe illness.
The omicron variant has overtaken delta as the dominant coronavirus variant in the United States: As of Friday, more than 73 percent of new cases in the country were caused by omicron, NBC News reported, citing data the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted Monday.