New data from the Netherlands suggest that the Omicron variant was present in Europe even before the first cases were reported in South Africa.

Authorities in the Netherlands reported on Tuesday that the variant was present in the country before South Africa reported its first cases on November 25. It was found in two samples from November 19 and 23, with no travel history in one of them.

More than a dozen countries and territories have detected Omicron cases thus far, including Australia, Britain, Canada, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy and Portugal. Belgium and Germany have also reported cases of the new variant prior to November 25, both associated with foreign travel. Latin America reported its first two cases on Tuesday which were also related to travel from South Africa to Brazil. The first case of the variant has also been reported from Japan, a day after the country prohibited foreign arrivals… (NDTV – AFP, December 1, 2021)