Live updates: Omicron found in wastewater of Florida county

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Wastewater samples show that the new omicron variant is now the dominant strain of the coronavirus in the Florida county that is home to America's largest theme park resorts, officials said this week.

The omicron variant has quickly surpassed the delta variant in collections taken from wastewater sampling sites in Orange County, officials said.

Even though the county has almost no confirmed cases involving omicron, a sampling this week showed the variant represented almost 100% of the coronavirus strains in the wastewater facility samples, Orange County Utilities spokesperson Sarah Lux said in an email.

However, it’s a different story when it comes to people seeking treatment for COVID-19, officials said.

“Those who are hospitalized are being primarily infected by the delta variant,” Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said Wednesday at a news conference held at the Orlando International Airport.

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HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC:

— European leaders discussing rise of infections, spread of omicron

— Vaccine skeptics in Eastern Europe having change of heart

— US sports leagues cope with COVID-19 outbreaks amid variants

— New California rules end distinction for vaccinated workers

— Israel to donate 1 million COVID vaccines to African nations

Go to https://APNews.com/coronavirus-pandemic for updates throughout the day.

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING TODAY:

LONDON — Britain’s government says it recorded another record daily number of COVID-19 cases.

Authorities reported 88,376 new confirmed cases on Thursday, almost 10,000 more than the previous record set a day...