Health officials said on Thursday that multiple cases of omicron coronavirus variants have been detected in New York. One of the men attended an animation convention in Manhattan at the end of November and tested positive for the variant when he returned home in Minnesota.

In addition to attendees who were vaccinated against COVID-19, government officials said that tests showed that five other people who had recently contracted the virus also had the mutation. They included a person in the suburbs of Long Island who had recently been to South Africa, residents of Brooklyn and Queens, and another case that might be travel-related. At least one person received a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, but officials did not have detailed information about the vaccination status of the other four cases.

Governor Kathy Hochul said at a press conference with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio that officials are still collecting detailed information about the case, but there is “no reason to panic.”

She said: “We just want to make sure that the public knows the information when they receive it.”

De Blasio said the geographic spread of the positive test indicates that the variant is undergoing “community transmission” in the city and has nothing to do with any incident.

He said: “We have to assume that there is still a lot of things behind this, and it has been around for a long time.”

The news was released the day after the United States announced the discovery of the first known variant case in California, which was a person who had recently been to South Africa.

Officials on Thursday reported another case of a Colorado woman who had recently travelled to Southern Africa.

According to the event organizer, the 2021 New York Animation Conference from November 19 to 21 attracted about 50,000 participants. Attendees must wear masks and show proof of at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

The man who participated in the event did not travel abroad and began to show symptoms the day after the conference. Minnesota Health Commissioner Young Malcolm said that “perhaps most likely” the man was infected with COVID-19 in New York City. Convention, but officials are not sure.

New York officials said they are trying to track the attendees of the convention held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, when New York City was preparing to host the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and preparing to welcome a large number of tourists. The United States will return afterwards. It is open to international travelers who have been vaccinated.

Officials in the city of 8.8 million people said they expect it will only be a matter of time before the new variant is reported in the city. City Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi urged those who participated in the event to be tested.

“It’s not just because people travel to Southern Africa or other parts of the world have identified omicron,” Chokshi said on Thursday.

The Minnesota man started showing mild symptoms on November 22. According to health officials in his hometown, he was vaccinated and given a booster shot in early November. Officials said he was tested for COVID-19 on November 24 and his symptoms have subsided.

November 22 was the same day that the infected person from the California case returned to the United States from South Africa. The vaccinated California traveler developed mild symptoms and tested positive on Monday.

There are many unknowns about this new variant, including whether it is as contagious as some health authorities suspect, whether it will make people sicker, and whether it will hinder vaccination.

Omicron is classified by the World Health Organization as a “variant of concern” because scientists are working to determine how it compares with major delta variants in terms of spread and severity. Scientists are still studying the degree of protection of omicron by existing vaccines and therapies.

Scientists in South Africa reported it first, but samples came from several countries in Southern Africa. Dutch health officials now say that it was found in South Africa before it was found.

Professor Danielle Ompad, an epidemiologist at the New York University School of Global Public Health, said that as the comfort of air travel returns, new variants like omicron will inevitably spread from one country to another.

“We should not panic, but we should worry,” she said.

Hochul said the case involving visitors from Minnesota emphasized the need for everyone who is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine or booster shots (if they don’t already have one).

The Democrat said: “There is a way to solve this problem-New Yorkers, get vaccinated, strengthen and prepare.”