The Omicron variant of the coronavirus has arrived in Sardinia. This was confirmed by the sequencing carried out by the Microbiology and Virology laboratory of the Aou of Sassari on the swab of the passenger who arrived in Alghero in recent days, returning from a trip to South Africa. The result arrived late yesterday evening and was immediately communicated to the regional department and the Higher Institute of Health.
“From the analyzes carried out by our structure – says Salvatore Rubino, director of the laboratory – it emerged that it is, in fact, the variant B.1.1.529 called Omicron. The sequence we performed – he continues – was loaded on the platform of the Higher Institute of Health for the genomic surveillance of Sars-CoV2 variants (I-Co-Gen), which allows to issue alerts on sequences of particular interest “.
The one recorded by the Aou Microbiology laboratory in Sassari is the first case of the Omicron variant identified on the island. Investigations in search of coronavirus variants are also continuing these days. Today, in fact, is the day of surveillance that the Higher Institute of Health has set for all of Italy. On this day all the accredited microbiology and virology laboratories, as well as that of the Aou of Sassari, participate with the analysis and sequencing of some swabs to verify the diffusion of the variants on the national territory.
Omicron variant in Italy
Last Saturday a case was identified the first case in South Tyrol. It is a woman from Burgraviato who returned from South Africa at the end of November. As expected, she underwent a molecular swab both before departure in Cape Town and upon arrival in Munich, both times with negative results. Subsequently, the competent authorities informed the South Tyrolean Health Authority of a positive case for SARS-CoV-2 found on the same flight. The woman, informs the health authority, was immediately subjected to a further PCR swab which gave a positive result; last night the results of the sequencing, performed at the Company Laboratory of Microbiology and Virology, confirmed that it is the Omicron variant.
In Campania there are 7 cases of the Omicron variant (positive results are swabs performed on 3 members of the family unit of the so-called ‘patient zero’, cases that are added to those of the man, his wife and two children), a first case was registered in Veneto.
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