Coronavirus: Dutch authorities confirm 13 Omicron cases among 61 positive travellers from South Africa
- The Netherlands said these were among the 61 passengers who tested positive for Covid-19 on two flights on Friday, and could be the ‘tip of the iceberg’
- The new Omicron variant has sparked global concerns that it could resist vaccinations and prolong the nearly two-year Covid-19 pandemic
They were among 61 passengers who tested positive for Covid-19 on the two flights, which carried about 600 people. Those who tested positive are being kept in isolation at a hotel near the airport.
“In our [virus] sequencing investigation, which is still ongoing, we have so far found 13 cases of the Omicron variant among the positive [passenger Covid-19] tests,” the National Institute for Health (RIVM) said in a statement.
“It is not unlikely more cases will appear in the Netherlands,” Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said at a press conference in Rotterdam. “This could possibly be the tip of the iceberg.”
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The Dutch investigation began with testing of all the people who arrived on the two flights from South Africa at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on Friday, before the Dutch government changed its rules on air traffic from southern Africa due to concerns over the variant.
The discovery of Omicron, dubbed a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization, has sparked worries around the world that it could resist vaccinations and prolong the nearly two-year Covid-19 pandemic.