He had returned from Mozambique, with a flight to Fiumicino (and not to Milan, as mentioned at first), about ten days ago, then making a stop in Caserta, where he lives. Having to leave for Africa again for work reasons, the man presented himself in Milan and underwent the test before boarding. Test result positive for the Omicron variant. At that point the man was placed in solitary confinement, as were the rest of his family. The story of the first positive Italian at Covid 19 is defined hour after hour and on which a sequence attributable to the Omicron variant has been identified. The professional, an employee of an international company, was vaccinated with a double dose. It is learned from qualified sources of Campania health. The same sources point out that the man is paucisymptomatic and that his condition does not raise any concern at the moment.
At the airport the man was subjected to a swab that was later positive. The alarm in recent days about travelers returning from southern Africa has turned the spotlight on his case, starting more in-depth feedback on him and his family members, residing in Campania. As far as is known, the man spent only one night in Milan and then returned to Campania by car.
The Omicron variant alarms Europe. “Let’s prevent it with more masks and vaccines”
by Elena Dusi
“At the moment no positive contacts have been identified in Lombardy” of the patient from Campania in which a sequence attributable to the Omicron variant has been identified. This was announced by the Higher Institute of Health which coordinates the network of which the ICoGen platform is part of the SarS-CoV2 genomic sequencing activities.
The ISS specified in a press release that it had found positivity in the Sars-CoV-2 genomic sequencing activities, identifying a sequence in the ICoGen platform attributable to the one now known as variant of concern (Voc) and defined yesterday by ‘ ‘World Health Organization (WHO) as “omicron”. The sample is in the phase of further confirmation to have the definitive assignment of the lineage which for this Voc is B.1.1.529. The ability to quickly identify the new sequence and immediately start contact tracing activities – says the ISS – was obtained thanks to the presence of alerts on the Icogen platform which immediately recognized the presence of some key mutations, demonstrating the efficiency of the Italian sequencing network. The genome was sequenced at the Clinical Microbiology, Virology and Bioemergency Diagnostic Laboratory of the Sacco Hospital in Milan from a positive sample from a subject from Mozambique. The patient and his family contacts are in good health “, continues the note.” The epidemiological investigations were carried out by Ats Milano and the Local Health Authority of the Campania Region. Sequencing has already been scheduled on the samples of the patient’s family contacts who were positive and resident in the Campania region, whose laboratories have been alerted and are already working to obtain genomic results in a short time. Already yesterday, the Ministry of Health had issued an information note to the regions following a coordinated meeting together with ISS to strengthen the tracing methods “, concludes the note.