Spain detects first case of Omicron variant, without links to risk countries

Latest: Coronavirus in Spain figures (10 Dec)

Regional authorities in Madrid said on Thursday that they had detected the country’s first domestic case of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 in a fully vaccinated person without links to risk countries, and were investigating two other similar suspected cases.

It was the fourth confirmed case of the variant in Spain, but the first that shows Omicron is already circulating in the country, and has infected someone with no connection to travel to Southern Africa.

Madrid had confirmed the first case of the new variant in Spain on Monday – a man who had arrived in the city from South Africa, with a stop-over in Amsterdam, on 28 November. He is fully vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine and displayed mild symptoms.

The second case was detected on Tuesday – a 61-year-old woman who is fully vaccinated with AstraZeneca and who arrived in Madrid from South Africa, also via Amsterdam. She also had ‘mild symptoms and was isolating and being monitored’.

On Wednesday, the Balearic Islands confirmed a third case: a resident of Mallorca who had arrived back in Spain after travelling to South Africa.

Also on Wednesday, authorities in Catalonia said they had detected potential traces of the Omicron Coronavirus variant in sewage samples from late November.

Spain’s Health Ministry has said that people in close contact with those infected with the Omicron, Beta and Gamma variants will have to quarantine for 10 days even if they’re fully vaccinated.

The Health Ministry also published an order on Monday obliging travellers from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe to show a negative Covid test before flying to Spain and also quarantine for 10 days on arrival (or seven days if another negative PCR test is provided) – even if they’ve been fully vaccinated.

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