Omicron variant, the Ministry of Health to the Regions: 'Strengthen tracking'

Circular signed by the director of prevention of the Ministry of Health Gianni Rezza to the Regions on the Omicron variant: as a precaution - it reads - the ministry recommends strengthening and monitoring the tracing and sequencing activities in the case of travelers from countries or in the event of outbreaks characterized by a rapid and anomalous increase in cases and to promptly and scrupulously apply the measures already foreseen for the quarantine and isolation already foreseen for the Delta variant.

"It is feared that the high number of mutations of the spike protein could lead to a significant change in the antigenic properties of the virus - it continues - but so far no virological characterizations have been carried out and there is no evidence of changes in transmissibility, in severity of infection, or in the potential evasion of the immune response ".

This feature can be used for quick identification if there is no simultaneous circulation of other similar variants.