Stockholm, Nov 29 (Prensa Latina) The Swedish health authorities confirmed today the detection of the first infected in the country with the Omicron variant of the SARS-Cov-2 virus, and will strengthen monitoring to detect the presence of the pathogen in Covid samples. 19.
Karin Tegmark Wissell, general director of the Public Health Agency of this Nordic nation, specified this Monday that the first detected infected with this new strain resides in the southern province of Skane, and returned from South Africa more than a week ago.
Wissell said when releasing this report, that it was to be expected that the variant would also be found in Sweden, since it has already been discovered in other European nations.
The first country on the continent to confirm the presence of Ómicron was Belgium, after the strain was detected on November 26 in an unvaccinated woman, who traveled to Egypt and transited through Turkey.
The UK Health Ministry reported last Saturday on the detection of two infected people in that country, in the English towns of Essex and Nottingham.
Also on that day, the Bavarian Ministry of Health confirmed the presence in Germany of two cases of the Omicron variant, among travelers who arrived in that country on November 24 from South Africa.
This Monday, Portugal reported the detection of at least 13 infections early on Monday, all players from the Belenenses team, while Italy reported four.
Other nations in the region such as the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Finland have also reported possible cases.
In Sweden, tests continue to confirm the contagion with Ómicron of two people residing in the city of Jonkoping, in the south of this country, who tested positive for Covid-19 after recently arriving from South Africa, the source added.
rgh / ort
