Omicron variant found in at least five US states

President Joe Biden speaks about the new variant (AP)

The Omicron variant of Covid-19, which had been undetected in the US before the middle of this week, had been discovered in at least five states by the end of Thursday.

Just a day after the first known US case was found in California, tests showed the variant had infected at least five people in the New York City metropolitan area plus a man from Minnesota who had attended an anime convention in Manhattan in late November.