“So far, no severe cases or deaths have been reported among these cases.”
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has said that all Omicron cases confirmed in the European Union (EU) so far have been asymptomatic or mild.
According to the European disease watchdog, as of Tuesday (30 November), 44 confirmed cases of the new Covid-19 variant have been reported by 11 EU and European Economic Area (EEA) countries.
These include Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.
Meanwhile, an Omicron case has been detected also in the French Indian Ocean island of La Réunion.
In its latest epidemiological update regarding the variant, the ECDC said the majority of people with confirmed Omicron cases in the EU or EEA have a history of travel to African countries, with some having taken connecting flights at other destinations between Africa and Europe.
“All cases for which there is information available on severity were either asymptomatic or had mild symptoms,” an ECDC statement noted.
“So far, no severe cases or deaths have been reported among these cases.”
The ECDC added that a number of probable Omicron cases have also been reported from across the EU/EEA region, but that these are still under investigation.
Last Friday, the first case of the new Covid-19 variant in Europe was detected in Belgium.
The World Health Organisation said the strain – first identified by researchers in South Africa – contains a large number of mutations.
It subsequently named it Omicron and classified it as a variant of concern.
On Monday, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said “it is likely” the Omicron variant is already in Ireland and that he expects to see confirmed cases soon.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Government agreed to a number of new Covid-19 measures, including a requirement for all arrivals into Ireland from overseas who have been vaccinated or recovered from the virus to also have a certified “negative/not detected” test result.
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