The new Covid-19 variant, Omicron, was present in the Netherlands earlier than previously thought, officials say.
It was discovered in two test samples collected in the country between November 19 and 23, far before the variant was officially reported by South Africa. It’s unclear whether people who underwent the tests had previously traveled to Southern Africa.
Two aircraft from South Africa that arrived in the Netherlands on Sunday were previously assumed to have brought the first cases of the variation to the Netherlands. Among the 61 passengers who tested positive for coronavirus on the flights to Amsterdam, 14 people tested positive for Omicron.
Omicron appears to have a higher chance of re-infection, according to preliminary findings. However, experts estimate that it will take three weeks to learn how the significantly altered form affects vaccine effectiveness.
“In a special PCR test, the samples showed an abnormality in the spike protein,” the National Institute for Public Health (RIVM) which announced the earlier cases, said on Tuesday.
“This raised the concern that the Omicron variant… might be involved. [Health officials] will notify the people involved and start source and contact tracing,” it said.
The RIVM also said that a number of different strains of Omicron were found among the passengers on board the two flights on Sunday.
“This means that the people were very probably infected independently from each other, from different sources and in different locations,” a spokesman said.