The Ômicron variant of the new coronavirus, classified as a variant of concern by the World Health Organization (WHO), has been extensively monitored by genomic virus surveillance systems in several countries. Until this Saturday afternoon (27), nine of them were already reporting cases of this type.
The strain was first reported to WHO by South Africa on 24 November. Genome sequencing revealed that the Ômicron variant was responsible for all 77 virus samples analyzed in Gauteng, where Johannesburg is located, collected between 12 and 20 November.
See where the variant has already been detected:
- Botswana
- South Africa
- Hong Kong
- Israel
- Belgium
- United Kingdom
- Germany
- Italy
- Holland
Confirmation of the diagnosis of Covid-19 is performed through molecular tests, technically called RT PCR. After confirming that this is a positive sample for the new coronavirus, the researchers carry out genomic sequencing, which allows them to identify the genetic information of the virus and confirm which variant is involved in the infection.
The strain has also been found in Botswana, Southern Africa, and Hong Kong, Asia.
Belgium was the first country in Europe to report a case of the new Covid-19 variant. The information was released by virologist Marc Van Ranst, whose laboratory works in conjunction with the Belgian public health department. The case was identified in a traveler returning from Egypt to Belgium on 11 November.
The Ômicron variant was also detected in Israel on Friday (26). According to the local Ministry of Health, the case was identified in a person who came from Malawi. In addition to this already confirmed case, there are suspicions of two more cases coming from abroad awaiting test results.
The United Kingdom reported this Saturday (27) that it has detected two cases. The information was released by the country’s Secretary of State for Health, Sajid Javid.
Two cases of the new variant were detected in the state of Bavaria, in southern Germany, said the regional health ministry on Saturday. The two infected people entered the country through Munich airport on 24 November, before the isolation measures stipulated in relation to South Africa took effect.
Italy also confirmed a case associated with the Ômicron variant this Saturday, according to information from the National Institute of Health (ISS). The genome was sequenced at the Laboratory of Clinical Microbiology, Virology and Bioemergency Diagnosis of Hospital Sacco, Milan, from a positive sample from a patient from Mozambique, Africa.
Dutch authorities said 61 of about 600 people who arrived in Amsterdam on two flights from South Africa on Friday tested positive for Covid-19. “In several of the people tested, it is assumed that the Ômicron variant has been found,” the Dutch Institute of Health (RIVM) said in a statement.
*With information from Reuters
Reference: CNN Brasil
