x
Breaking News
More () »

Omicron variant found by NC-based lab, but not yet confirmed in state residents

Mako staffers run positive test samples through multiple machines in a 48-hour genomic sequencing process.

HENDERSON, N.C. — Although no infections by the coronavirus' omicron variant have been confirmed to have sickened anyone in North Carolina, the COVID-19 variant has been found in a growing number of states.

A Mako Medical lab in Henderson, North Carolina, which analyzes 100,000 virus tests from 43 states every week, has identified four omicron cases in the past week. Those cases were from Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.

Click here to sign up for the daily Wake Up Charlotte newsletter 

Mako staffers run positive test samples through multiple machines in a 48-hour genomic sequencing process to determine which of the virus variants are circulating where.

“We’ll be able to tell which variant belongs to each sample, and we’ll have all that information in our tracking system as to what patient that was, what state they are from and all that," Lauren Moon, Mako's sequencing manager, said Wednesday.

Read the full story on WCNC.com

For the latest breaking news, weather and traffic alerts, download the WCNC Charlotte mobile app. 

Wake Up Charlotte To Go is a daily news and weather podcast you can listen to so you can start your day with the team at Wake Up Charlotte.
SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts || Spotify || Stitcher || TuneIn || Google Podcasts

All of WCNC Charlotte's podcasts are free and available for both streaming and download. You can listen now on Android, iPhone, Amazon, and other internet-connected devices. Join us from North Carolina, South Carolina, or on the go anywhere.


Before You Leave, Check This Out