Although Europe has reacted swiftly by enacting measures to keep the new Omicron mutation at bay, one European country after another is announcing that it is detecting cases in their territories.
Confirmed cases of the so-called “Botswana mutation” have been identified in Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, Belgium and Israel. The health authorities in the Czech Republic and the Netherlands are also on alert due to suspicious cases.
Italy
The Italian Higher Institute of Health confirmed on Saturday night that the Omicron variant was found in a coronavirus case recorded in Naples.
This is a patient who traveled to Italy from Mozambique. According to the data so far, the health condition of him and his family is good.
Germany
Two cases of the Omicron variant have been identified in Bavaria, while another suspected case is being investigated in West Germany, according to health authorities.
The two men carrying the variant arrived at Munich airport on November 24, the Bavarian Health Ministry said, without explicitly specifying whether they came from South Africa. Both came for testing after being informed that this new variant is being released that is causing concern worldwide.
Of the passengers who arrived on Friday from Cape Town, 50 have been quarantined in Bavaria. Two foreigners tested positive for the new coronavirus and are being tested for the Omicron variant.
Earlier, officials from Hesse, where Frankfurt Airport is located, said a suspected case of Omicron, a passenger arriving from South Africa, had been identified. According to Der Spiegel, the man arrived in Germany on Sunday and was fully vaccinated. Authorities expect the genome analysis to be completed by Monday.
United Kingdom
Two cases linked to the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus have been identified in Britain and involve travel to South Africa, Health Minister Sajid Javid announced today.
“Late last night I was contacted by the UK Health and Safety Service. I was informed that two cases of the new Omicron variant had been identified in the UK. One in Chelmsford and the other in Nottingham,” the minister said.
The two men and all members of their households are undergoing diagnostic tests again and have been summoned to be isolated until the examinations and tracking of their contacts are completed, according to the Ministry of Health.
Belgium
Belgium announced on Friday the first confirmed case of the new mutation in its territories.
She is a young woman who developed symptoms 11 days after traveling to Egypt via Turkey. She was unvaccinated and had not been previously diagnosed with coronavirus. This woman had nothing to do with South Africa or any other country in the southern part of the African continent.
Netherlands
The Dutch health authorities announced that 61 people who arrived in Amsterdam on two flights from South Africa tested positive for covid-19 and further tests are being carried out to determine if they have been infected with the Omicron strain.
“We estimate that the Omicron variant has been identified in a number of individuals examined,” the Dutch Institute of Health (RIVM) said in a statement.
A spokesman for the institute said it was “almost certain” that these were cases of the new variant, but that other analyzes needed to be done.
Czech republic
The Czech National Institute of Public Health is examining a suspected case of the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus found in a person who had spent some time in Namibia.
“A laboratory is testing a possible finding on a positive sample of the Omicron variant. We are awaiting either confirmation or refutation,” spokeswoman Stepanka Tsekova said in an email.
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