New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday evening that the state had confirmed five cases of the omicron variant.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday evening that the state had confirmed five cases of the omicron variant. found in 

MiA 67-year-old woman in Suffolk County who traveled to South Africa tested positive Nov. 30 following mild symptoms upon returning home. She had received at least one vaccination, but it was unclear whether the woman was fully vaccinated, Hochul said.

Two other cases were from individuals in Queens and one in Brooklyn, but their vaccination status was unknown. 

The fifth case was identified in New York City from a traveler, but Hochul did not have further details.

At least nine cases of the omicron variant have now been identified in five states across the U.S. 

On Thursday, health officials in Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota and New York all reported new cases of the highly mutated strain of the coronavirus, one day after the first domestic case of the variant was discovered in California.

Hawaii became the fifth state in the nation to report a case of the variant, shortly after officials in New York announced that they had identified five confirmed cases in the state.

According to Hawaii health officials, the individual is a resident from O'ahu with moderate symptoms. They had previously been infected with COVID-19 and was reported to have been unvaccinated.

The individual is currently isolated at home and has not been hospitalized, State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Kemble said. The individual did not have any history of traveling.

"This isn't reason for panic, but it is reason for concern. It's a reminder the pandemic is ongoing. We need to protect ourselves by getting vaccinated, wearing masks, distancing as best we can and avoiding large crowds," said Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Char in a release.

The first identified case of the omicron variant in the U.S. was detected in California, the CDC announced earlier this week. U.S. cases of omicron variant found in Minnesota, Colorado, New York

The first identified case of the omicron variant in the U.S. was detected in California, the CDC announced earlier this week.