RELATED: 5 cases of omicron variant detected in New YorkThe variant also has been detected in Nebraska, Minnesota, California, Hawaii, Colorado and Utah.In New York, seven of the cases have been found in New York City, once a global epicenter of the pandemic, and the other in Suffolk County.The arrival of omicron comes as hospitals statewide continue to strain under a surge in coronavirus cases, most traced to the delta variant, along with staffing shortages.An advisory panel of the World Health Organization classified on Nov.
27, 2021, a worrying new COVID-19 variant first detected in South Africa as a highly transmissible virus of concern, naming it "Omicron" under its Greek letter system.The number of people testing positive statewide.