Omicron was in the Netherlands already, two older samples are positive for new variant
The Omicron version of coronavirus was in the Netherlands earlier in November, public health institute RIVM said on Tuesday.
Two samples, taken at regional health board test centres on November 19 and 23, have both now been found to be the new variant, the RIVM said.
As yet, it is not clear if the people carrying the virus had been to southern Africa where the variant was first identified. The regional health boards are now notifying the people involved and start source and contact tracing.
The RIVM also said that 14 of the 624 people who were tested for coronavirus at Schiphol airport on Friday are now known to have the Omicrom variant.
‘Laboratory tests identified several different strains which means that the people were very probably infected independently from each other, from different sources and in different locations,’ the health agency said.
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