President Joe Biden is urging Americans to get vaccinated, including booster shots, as he seeks to quell concerns over the newly identified coronavirus variant named omicron.

Questions and concerns are surrounding a version of the coronavirus that is dominating infections in the United Kingdom and could become the dominating variant in the United States.

AUSTIN, Texas – The first case of the UK variant of COVID-19 has been confirmed in Austin-Travis County, Austin Public Health officials said. According to a news release, the variant was discovered and confirmed through lab testing by a private local testing organization and was reported to the Texas Department of State Health Services. “While it is concerning that there is a confirmed COVID-19 variant in Austin-Travis County, it does not come as a surprise,” said APH Director Stephanie Hayden-Howard. “It is important to remember that these COVID-19 variants spread the same way, and so it is important to continue the prevention measures we have been using for almost a year. APH lab testing will detect the coronavirus, but at this time, extended lab testing is required to determine the variant strains under the coronavirus umbrella at this time.