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The Netherlands detected contagion in the omicron strain - days before it was discovered
The country's health authorities have identified the new variant in two local cases from 11 days ago, even before the first reports from South Africa last week.
The discovery reinforces the claims regarding the ineffectiveness of flight restrictions at this stage
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Netherlands
Omicron variant
Corona virus
News agencies
Tuesday, 30 November 2021, 13:23 Updated: 17:52
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In the video: Biden refers to the new omicron strain (Photo: Reuters)
Health authorities in the Netherlands said today (Tuesday) that they have located the new Omicron strain among two local infected with the corona virus from 11 days ago.
The discovery of these cases shows that the variant was already in the heart of Western Europe even before South Africa first reported it last week.
The RIVM Health Institute said it found strains of the strain among infected people on November 19 and 23.
These preceded passengers who returned from South Africa on Friday and were diagnosed positive for the new strain at Amsterdam Airport.
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It is not clear when the variant first appeared.
Amsterdam Airport (Photo: Reuters)
It is still unclear where or when the variant first appeared, and South Africa and the World Health Organization have attacked restrictions on flights south of the continent claiming their impact is quite limited. Although very little is known about the new strain, the World Health Organization has warned that the global risk is “very high” and first information suggests it may be more contagious compared to previous strains.
Another significant question is whether the existing vaccines are effective against it. Opinions change here: While the CEO of Moderna warned today that the new strain could likely bypass the vaccine, the CEO of Pfizer and the University of Oxford, which developed the Astraznica vaccine, expressed optimism about their effectiveness against Omicron as well.
Meanwhile, Japan, which closed the country's gates to foreign entry yesterday, and France have reported first cases of the new variant.
In Germany, authorities in the eastern city of Leipzig said they located the strain in a 39-year-old man who had not recently been abroad or come into contact with a person who was outside the country. Leipzig is in the state of Saxony, where the infection rate is highest in Germany.
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