The University of Arizona has identified its first cases of the omicron COVID-19 variant within its Tucson campus community, the institution announced on Tuesday.
UA researchers discovered the cases at about 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday using genomic testing, the university said in a statement.
The samples came from the university's COVID-19 testing program through a saline gargle qPCR test that UA virology expert Michael Worobey introduced to campus in October 2020. Researchers identified the omicron variant in seven samples within 10 hours of the UArizona Genetics Core lab forwarding them.
Following standard protocol for positive COVID-19 tests, the university has begun the process of contact tracing and notifying those who were in contact with the individuals.
