(AP)- New York has announced three more cases of the omicron variant of the coronavirus, bringing to eight the number of state cases linked to the new variant. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Saturday said the cases appear to be unrelated. Seven of them have been found in New York City and the other is in Suffolk County. The number of states finding the variant is growing as well. Massachusetts, Connecticut and Washington state announced their first cases Saturday, a day after New Jersey, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Maryland reported their first cases. Missouri announced its first presumed case Friday. The variant also has been detected in Nebraska, Minnesota, California, Hawaii, Colorado and Utah.
Photo: A sign of COVID-19 testing site is seen in Times Square on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021, in New York. The omicron variant of COVID-19, which had been undetected in the U.S. before the middle of this week, had been discovered in at least five states by the end of Thursday, showing yet again how mutations of the virus can circumnavigate the globe with speed and ease.(AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)