The new omicron variant of COVID-19 was detected in Minnesota on Thursday.Continuing Coverage: COVID-19 in WisconsinWisconsin health officials said they were on high alert for the variant."We are actively testing specimens that have tested positive on PCR, using whole genome sequencing to detect what variant they are," Wisconsin Department of Health Services Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ryan Westergaard said.That testing, health officials believe, will soon identify the new variant's presence in Wisconsin.But by the time it does, omicron will likely have already been in the Badger State for weeks because the sequencing to identify it takes time."There's a bit of a lag from when a patient gets tested and when," Westergaard said.The few cases that have surfaced in the United States so far have produced mild illness. Westergaard said it was too early to know if that's a typical reaction."We do not have the answer to the question, does it cause more severe disease," he said. "There's been too few cases to really characterize the full spectrum of clinical illness.""As of (Thursday), delta remains the dominant variant in Wisconsin," Department of Health Services Secretary Karen Timberlake said.Currently, the delta variant accounts for nearly 100% of the soaring number of new positive COVID-19 cases.The state is seeing the highest levels since last year. But health experts are still unsure whether omicron will soon overtake delta as the dominant strain.It was just one of many things about the new variant that remains uncertain."We've never seen this specific combination of mutations, so it really is a new entity that we need to learn about," Westergaard said.It's not yet known whether the current COVID-19 vaccines protect against the new omicron variant.Health officials believe the vaccines will at least help reduce any symptoms patients may experience from omicron. They also caution residents should not change mitigation strategies.The delta variant continues to drive the record number of hospitalizations.The DHS said the overwhelming majority of patients hospitalized and in the intensive care unit on ventilators are unvaccinated.Sign up for COVID-19 email alerts from WISNGet breaking news alerts with the WISN 12 app.Follow us: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube