Countries that have recorded cases of the Omicron super variant
After the first cases of the Omicron variant were recorded in South Africa, the super-variant with the most mutations ever is spreading to many countries around the world.
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| Stalls are closed at the Christmas market in Innsbruck, Austria on November 28. Photo: AP |
Most recently, on November 28,ShirtThe first suspected case of the new Omicron variant has been detected in the city of Tirol.
The Tirol city government said the case involved a person who returned from South Africa last week. Initial tests by the Innsbruck Institute of Virology showed that the person tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, along with signs of infection with the Omicron variant. The sample has been sent to the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) for further testing. The results from AGES will be available in the next few days.
After returning from South Africa 3 days ago, this case mainly stayed at home and had no obvious symptoms.
Health officialsAustraliaOn November 28, two COVID-19 patients in New South Wales, the country's most populous state, were confirmed to be infected with the Omicron variant. These are the first cases of infection with the new variant recorded in the country.
According to local authorities, two patients from southern Africa entered Sydney on the evening of November 27. Both tested positive for the Omicron variant and showed no symptoms. Both cases have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and are in quarantine. Twelve passengers from southern Africa on the same flight are also in 14-day hotel quarantine, while about 260 passengers and crew have been instructed to quarantine.
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| Kingsford Smith International Airport, in Sydney, Australia. Photo: Reuters |
After the gene decoding process, on November 27, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed the first two cases of COVID-19 inOlder brotherinfected with the Omicron variant.
These two cases, one in Chelmsford and the other in Nottingham, have had or are linked to travel to southern Africa. All family members of these two cases have been asked to self-isolate at home while authorities continue to test and trace.
On November 27, health officials in the state of HessenVirtueA case of the Omicron variant has also been detected. This person has just returned from South Africa and is being quarantined at home. Accordingly, the test results of this person show some mutations characteristic of the Omicron variant.
On the same day, the National Institutes of HealthItaly(ISS) also announced that it had detected the first case of the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the country. ISS said the Omicron variant was detected in a positive COVID-19 test sample of a patient entering Italy from Mozambique. This person and his relatives are all in good health.
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| Travelers wearing face masks arrive at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel, on November 28. Photo: AP |
On the same day, a hospital in the city of Liberec, northern part of the Republic ofCzechannounced that a female patient was infected with the Omicron variant. A spokesperson for the hospital confirmed that genetic analysis and diagnosis results showed a 90% chance that this patient was infected with the new variant of SARS-CoV-2.
Ministry of HealthDenmarkis also quickly testing two suspected cases of infection with the new variant of SARS-CoV-2, named Omicron by the World Health Organization (WHO).
According to the Danish Ministry of Health, the two cases had just returned from South Africa - the country where the first Omicron case was detected. Danish Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said on November 27 that it was likely that these were two cases of the new variant, but that test results would be confirmed in the next few days.
Health officialsNetherlandssaid it had detected a number of suspected cases of the Omicron variant among passengers entering from South Africa.
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| Testing booth in the Netherlands. Photo: Reuters |
As the latest wave of infections caused by the Delta variant continues to weigh on the health systems of many countries, the Omicron variant, or B.1.1.529, believed to have originated in South Africa, has quickly raised alarm in many countries around the world.
It is not yet clear where this super variant originated, but the first case was identified inSouth Africais in Gauteng province, a major economic hub, which has also seen a spike in new cases in recent days. The first cases of the Omicron variant have also been recorded.Botswana, Israel and Hong Kong(China).
Omicron has about 50 mutations, more than 30 of which are in the spike protein, making it distinct from the original virus. Scientists call it an unusual cluster of mutations, as Omicron has the most dangerous mutations of all the variants so far.
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| Passengers queue for COVID-19 testing at Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa on November 26. Photo: Reuters |
It will take weeks to determine whether the newly discovered mutations make the virus more virulent or transmissible, according to the WHO. South Africa's health ministry said that rushing into travel bans was wrong and contrary to WHO advice.
