Netherlands detects 13 cases of new coronavirus variant, third case found in UK

Countries rush to test for Omicron and tighten restrictions to contain spread • South African doctor who first spotted variant says patients have experienced mild symptoms

The discovery of the new COVID variant in Netherlands comes as the Dutch authorities tightened restrictions to stem a surge in coronavirus cases
The discovery of the new COVID variant in Netherlands comes as the Dutch authorities tightened restrictions to stem a surge in coronavirus cases

Netherlands has detected the new coronavirus variant Omicron in 13 people who arrived in Amsterdam on two flights from South Africa.

They are among 61 passengers who tested positive for COVID-19 as the country re-introduces restrictions to combat a record surge in cases.

The news from the Netherlands comes on the back of a third case of Omicron being detected in the UK. The person is no longer in the UK but had visited Westminster in London.

The UK has also introduced mandatory PCR testing for all incoming travellers, who will have to self-isolate until they receive their results.

Omicron was first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) by South Africa last week, and early evidence suggests it has a higher re-infection risk. It has been categorised by the WHO as a "variant of concern".

Many countries around the world, including the EU, have restricted travel from southern African countries to try and stem the spread of the variant.

The first European country to record a case of Omicron was Belgium in a passenger who had returned from Egypt and developed symptoms 11 days later.

A case in Italy was recorded on Saturday in a fully-vaccinated manager returning from work in Mozambique. Reports from Italy said the worker’s symptoms were mild and all his immediate family and contacts have been placed in quarantine and under observation.

Meanwhile, Israel has banned all foreign travellers into the country for two weeks and given its internal security agency, Shin Bet, powers to track people placed in quarantine after detecting its second case of Omicron.

The Dutch National Institute for Public Health announced the 13 Omicron cases on Sunday, but noted that its investigation had "not yet been completed", meaning the new variant could still be found in more test samples.

Dutch Health Minister Hugo de Jonge made an "urgent request" for people who have returned from southern Africa to get tested for COVID "as soon as possible".

The discovery of Omicron comes at a time when several European countries are re-introducing restrictions and lock downs to counter a surge of COVID cases.

Malta has so far resisted tightening restrictions despite the number of new cases increasing significantly over the past fortnight since hospitalisations remain relatively low.

Malta also has a high vaccination rate and booster doses are being rolled out fast with almost 114,000 people having received their third COVID jab.

On Sunday, the Maltese health authorities reported 72 new cases and an increase in hospitalisations to 15 from 12 the previous day.

Scientists and public health bodies around the world are trying to better understand the new variant, particularly whether it can evade the immunity provided by the current COVID vaccines.

Meanwhile, Dr Angelique Coetzee, the South African doctor who first spotted the new COVID variant Omicron, has said the patients seen so far in her country have had "extremely mild symptoms".