Africa-Press – Mozambique. A case of the omicron COVID-19 variant has been found in Italy, according to the country’s National Health Institute (ISS).
According to the ISS, the genome was sequenced at a laboratory of the Sacco Hospital in the Italian city of Milan from a positive sample of a patient coming from Mozambique.
The patient, who had been fully vaccinated, returned to Italy from Mozambique only days ago, Italian news agency ANSA reported.
People who had been in contact with the patient are also self-isolating as a precaution, it said.
The patient and his family contacts were in good health, the ISS added.
Accertato il primo caso in Italia della variante Omicron https://t.co/BmSQkQhuLq via @RaiNews
Sentite già l’odore di lockdown?
— Amelia Navarra (@amelia_navarra) November 27, 2021
La variante Omicron è in Italia.L’ufficialita’e’arrivata dopo le 19:00. Identificata per la prima volta una sequenza del virus riconducibile alla preoccupante variante. Si tratta del cittadino campano,tornato dal Mozambico e risultato positivo con altri familiari. Lievi i sintomi pic.twitter.com/Zx0UT9m8Gq
— Franco Scarsella (@FrancoScarsell2) November 27, 2021
Italy on Friday banned entry to travellers who have been in seven southern Africa countries over the past two weeks due to fears over a new coronavirus variant. The countries are: South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia and Swaziland.
At least two other European nations, the UK and Germany, also confirmed two cases of the variant on Saturday.
The European Union (EU) has separately proposed prohibiting travel from southern Africa.
The UK’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty on Saturday said it is “inevitable” the Omicron variant will spread across the world over the next few days with countries already beginning to report such cases.
Omicron, the new COVID-19 variant was classified as a ‘variant of concern’ by the World Health Organization (WHO).
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