Health – Hanover – Omikron variant: Another suspected case in Lower Saxony – Health
Hanover (dpa / lni) – In Lower Saxony there is another suspected case of the Omikron variant of the corona virus. A woman from the Wolfenbüttel district is suspected of being infected with this variant, said a spokesman for the Ministry of Health in Hanover on Wednesday. The woman had previously been in South Africa.
The ministry reported a first suspected case on Monday. A man – also from the Wolfenbüttel district – has therefore also stayed in South Africa. According to the spokesman, these two suspected cases should not be connected, and the two people were therefore not on the same plane with each other.
The variant B.1.1.529, which was first detected in southern Africa, was classified as “worrying” by the World Health Organization (WHO). The EU health authority ECDC speaks of serious concerns that the exact effects of the variant have not yet been determined.
The ministry spokesman said that PCR tests had shown that there was a very high probability that both cases were the omicron variant of the coronavirus. According to the information, further examinations at the health department are still ongoing. In a few days it should then be clear whether the suspected cases are confirmed.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 211201-99-214423 / 4