The omicron variant of the coronavirus was present in Norway on several occasions, and it may have been here before it was discovered in South Africa, according to the National Institute of Public Health (FHI).
The omicron variant was first detected in Norway on December 1, 2021. A total of 5,240 cases have been registered since then. But the first imported case may have arrived in Norway around November 17, according to the newspaper Aftenposten.
The variant was first discovered in South Africa and reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) on November 24. The first confirmed case is related to a sample taken on November 9.
Researchers at the FHI have identified 18 different genetic clusters of omicron in Norway that originate from various cases of imported infection.
“A number of other imported cases appear to have caused infection in Norway, but no major clusters have been identified so far,” the FHI writes in its latest weekly report.
Test results by test date also give the FHI a more precise and detailed overview of how the more contagious variant spreads, the newspaper writes. Efforts are now being made to clarify whether the spread of omicron was caused by the first early outbreaks in Norway or by other cases of imported infection.
Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
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