Netherlands registers 13 Omicron strain cases

Dutch health authorities said on Sunday that 13 cases of the newly detected Omicron variant of COVID-19 have been registered in the country.

The Dutch National Institute for Health (RIVM) noted that all the Omicron infections were confirmed among people who arrived in the country from South Africa, where the strain was first detected.

The authorities added that a total of 61 people out of 600 who flew to the Netherlands on the last two flights before it imposed a travel ban tested positive for COVID-19 and are in isolation while sequencing is carried out to determine if they have the Omicron strain. “The new variant may be found in more test samples,” RIVM added.