Madrid confirms first case of Omicron unrelated to South Africa travel

Mark Drakeford announces new Covid measures for Wales

Mark Drakeford announces new Covid measures for Wales. image: wikimedia

Madrid has confirmed the first case of Omicron unrelated to South Africa travel, in a fully vaccinated man who had not had been in close contact with anyone travelling from the affected regions.

The Community of Madrid has confirmed today the third case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, the first in the area to be infected via community spread.

The Regional Health Department has stated that the 62-year-old man has only mild symptoms, as he had been vaccinated with both doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. He had not travelled to South Africa recently, nor had he been in close contact with someone coming from one of the countries where the variant has been detected. He is currently self-isolating at home, as is the other person he lives with.

The Health Department is also investigating another two suspected cases of the Omicron variant, both in people with mild symptoms and no history of travel to the affected regions. This would mean that there have now been three cases detected in the Madrid area, and four on a national level, with the case confirmed yesterday in the Balearic Islands.

There have so far been no other cases confirmed in Spain, although there are suspected cases in Cataluña and Castilla y León in a 51-year-old man and a 61-year-old woman who arrived in Spain from Africa via Amsterdam. In both cases, they had a positive COVID test at the Madrid Barajas airport, and posterior sequencing confirmed that it was Omicron.

Community spread has also been confirmed in Belgium after the first case was detected last Friday.

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Written by

Tamsin Brown

Originally from London, Tamsin is based in Malaga and is a local reporter for the Euro Weekly News covering Spanish and international news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.

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