Georgia sees sign omicron is spreading locally as cases rise

Georgia’s COVID-19 caseload is trending upward as state health officials detected a sign that the omicron variant of the virus is spreading locally.

Department of Public Health officials said Thursday that they confirmed an omicron case in an unvaccinated Atlanta-area resident who had not traveled abroad recently. Georgia’s two prior cases involved recent international travel. As with cases detected in some other states, that likely means the variant is spreading locally.

Health officials said the infected person had mild symptoms and is isolating at home. The department said it was trying to trace people who had close contact with the person and are at risk of developing the respiratory illness.