There is mounting evidence that the Omicron coronavirus strain could have been circulating undetected in Europe and the UK since late October, almost one month before it was first reported in South Africa.
Health authorities raised the alarm about a new variant spreading rapidly through the South African province of Gauteng on November 24.
However, a number of European nations are now reporting that the Omicron variant has been detected in a number of cases prior to that date.
In the Netherlands, health officials have confirmed that Omicron was detected in two test samples taken on November 19 and 23.
It is believed that one of those cases had no travel history.
In Glasgow Scotland, six Omicron infections have been linked to a pop concert which took place on November 22.
Another nine cases have been linked to a private event held on November 20.
The WHO says that although the first confirmed Omicron infection came from a sample collected in South Africa on November 9, the variant’s true origins remain a mystery.
Botswana’s government confirmed it’s first 4 cases from samples taken on November 11.
The four cases were all diplomats, a number of whom returned from Europe on November 7.
As more samples are being tested it appears likely that the variant is being associated with South Africa only because the testing regime there has been more thorough.
The WHO’s technical lead Dr Maria Van Kerhove, said that as more countries analyse their older samples, the “timeline may change”.
“There are a lot of [samples] that haven’t yet been sequenced from November in many parts of the world,” she said.
“So some of the earliest cases of this particular variant may very well not be in South Africa.”
Yet, as more countries close their borders to South African arrivals, some experts are suggesting that the country is now being penalised for having been so transparent with their findings.
Dr Mike Ryan, the WHO’s head of emergencies, said South Africa shouldn’t have been punished for raising the alarm
“They had the systems to pick this up and most importantly, they were truly transparent in sharing this information with the rest of the world,” he said.
“I wish we had that behaviour from every country on this planet.”
Despite border closures and other restrictions, the Omicron variant has now been detected in 40 countries around the world.
However, early evidence suggests that, although highly infectious, the Omicron variant does not appear to be leading to a dramatic or corresponding increase in hospitalisations or deaths.
The WHO nevertheless is calling for a global approach to tackling the pandemic in order to reduce transmission and ensure that the virus has less ability to mutate further into other, potentially more deadly strains.
Source – ABC News, Australia