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Niphon Khiawprommas/iStock(ALBANY, N.Y.) With mounting concerns over the potential threat of the newly discovered omicron variant, U.S. scientists are racing to try to determine whether there are any confirmed cases of the new variant circulating around the country. Among those is the New York State Department of Health's Wadsworth Center Labs in Albany, New York, where for months, scientists have been on the lookout for dangerous variants, while monitoring the genetic changes in the COVID-19 virus. In order to track new variants, the team sequences the virus's genetic material to identify its lineage, strain and mutations, as well as to see how the virus is evolving, and which viruses are entering the state of New York. The lab has been on high alert since the discovery of the omicron variant, analyzing positive COVID-19 samples from across the state to see if the variant is already present within the community. On Wednesday, scientists in California confirmed the first kn

New yorkUnited statesSouth africaAlexis russellLaboratory of viral diseasesWadsworth centerNew york state departmentWadsworth center labsViral diseases