The Omicron coronavirus variant was first identified in Austria, in the Tyrol region, in a person who had recently traveled to South Africa, the government announced today.
“We now have the results we need to be able to confirm” that the suspected case identified last Saturday is “definitely” this variant B.1.1.529, the Ministry of Health told the APA news agency.
The regional health authorities of Tyrol had said the day before yesterday that they suspect that there is a case of infection with the Omicron variant in a person without symptoms.
On Friday, Austria closed its borders to travelers from seven countries in the southern part of the African continent due to the detection of the Omicron variant in South Africa, which poses a “very high risk” according to the World Health Organization, although “no deaths”. “has not been assigned to it at this time.
According to the WHO, it may take several weeks to determine the changes that Omicron causes in terms of transmissibility and severity of the disease, as well as its consequences in terms of vaccines, diagnostic tests and treatments.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News
and be the first to know all the news
.
