Covid: The Omicron variant in the Netherlands earlier than previously thought.
Written byTimes Magazine
Officials say a new version of Covid-19, Omicron, arrives in the Netherlands earlier than previously thought. It was identified in two test samples taken between November 19 and 23, before the option was first reported from South Africa.
It is not clear if those who took the test visited South Africa. It was previously assumed that two flights arriving from South Africa on Sunday would carry the first cases of the variant to the Netherlands.
Among the 61 passengers diagnosed with the coronavirus, 14 tested positive for Omicron on the flight to the capital Amsterdam. Preliminary data suggest that Omicron has a higher risk of reinfection. However, scientists say it will take about three weeks to study how the highly mutated variant affects the vaccine's effectiveness.
"In a special PCR test, the sample showed abnormalities in the spine protein," said the National Institute of Public Health (RIVM), which announced the case earlier Tuesday.
"This has raised concerns that an Omicron variant… might be involved. "Health officials] will notify those involved and begin tracing sources and contacts," the statement said. RIVM also said several different types of Omicron were found on passengers on two flights on Sunday.
"This means that people have a high chance of being infected independently of each other, from different sources and in different places," a spokesperson said. It's unlikely we'll ever know exactly when or where the Omicron first appeared.
South Africa warned the world about the new version on November 24 after opening its first case. Since then, other countries have been looking for it and, thanks to gene sequencing tests, have identified more issues worldwide. However, not every country is capable of carrying out these additional checks.
Even the UK, one of the leading users of the technology, cannot review every positive case of Covid to determine which option is the culprit. Meanwhile, PCR tests can show whether a Covid case may be Omicron, but they can't confirm this for sure.
Meanwhile, Dutch authorities are also trying to connect and test thousands of passengers from South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, and Zimbabwe.
The United States, Canada, Britain, and the European Union have restricted travel from South Africa due to concerns about the new option. But UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was "deeply concerned" about South Africa's isolation, adding that "the African people cannot be held responsible for the immorally low levels of available vaccines."
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