Omicron was in Netherlands before South African alert on it

PARIS – The omicron variant was already successful the Netherlands erstwhile South Africa alerted the World Health Organization astir it past week, Dutch wellness authorities said Tuesday, adding to fearfulness and disorder implicit the caller mentation of the coronavirus successful a weary satellite hoping it had near the worst of the pandemic behind.

The Netherlands' RIVM wellness institute recovered omicron successful samples dating from Nov. 19 and 23. The WHO said South Africa archetypal reported the the variant to the U.N. steadfast bureau connected Nov. 24.

It remains unclear wherever oregon erstwhile the variant archetypal emerged — but that hasn't stopped wary nations from rushing to enforce question restrictions, particularly connected visitors coming from confederate Africa. Those moves person been criticized by South Africa and the WHO has urged against them, noting their constricted effect.

Much is inactive not known astir the variant — though the WHO warned that the planetary hazard from the variant is “very high” and aboriginal grounds suggests it could beryllium much contagious.

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The Dutch announcement Tuesday further muddies the timeline connected erstwhile the caller variant really emerged. Previously, the Dutch had said they recovered the variant among passengers who came from South Africa connected Friday — but these caller cases predate that.

Authorities successful the eastbound German metropolis of Leipzig, meanwhile, said Tuesday they had confirmed an corruption with the omicron variant successful a 39-year-old antheral who had neither been overseas nor had interaction with anyone who had been, quality bureau dpa reported. Leipzig is successful the eastbound authorities of Saxony, which presently has Germany’s highest wide coronavirus corruption rates.

Meanwhile, Japan and France announced their archetypal cases of the caller variant connected Tuesday.

French authorities confirmed its beingness successful the French land territory of Reunion successful the Indian Ocean. Patrick Mavingui, a microbiologist astatine the island’s probe session for infectious diseases, said the idiosyncratic who has tested affirmative for the caller variant is simply a 53-year-old antheral who had traveled to Mozambique and stopped successful South Africa earlier returning to Reunion.

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The antheral was placed successful quarantine. He has “muscle symptom and fatigue,” Mavingui said, according to nationalist tv Reunion 1ere.

A time aft banning each overseas visitors arsenic an exigency precaution against the variant, Japan besides confirmed its archetypal case, successful a visitant who had traveled from Namibia. A authorities spokesperson said the patient, a antheral successful his 30s, tested affirmative upon accomplishment astatine Narita airdrome connected Sunday and was isolated and is being treated astatine a hospital.

Travel bans besides continued to autumn Tuesday.

Cambodia barred introduction to travelers from 10 African countries, citing the menace from the variant. The determination came conscionable 2 weeks aft Cambodia reopened its borders to afloat vaccinated travelers.

While it has urged against borderline closures, the WHO has stressed that portion scientists are hunting grounds to amended recognize this variant, countries should accelerate vaccinations arsenic rapidly arsenic possible.

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WHO said determination are “considerable uncertainties” astir the omicron variant. But it said preliminary grounds raises the anticipation that the variant has mutations that could assistance it some evade an immune-system effect and boost its quality to dispersed from 1 idiosyncratic to another.

Despite the planetary worry, doctors successful South Africa are reporting patients are suffering mostly mild symptoms truthful far. But they pass that it is aboriginal and astir of the caller cases are successful radical successful their 20s and 30s, who mostly bash not get arsenic sick from COVID-19 arsenic older patients.

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