Two confirmed cases of Omicron variant detected

The Central Health Laboratory has detected two cases of the Omicron variant during sequencing exercises.

The first case is that of a South African national who landed in Mauritius on 27 November 2021.

The second is a resident of Tamarin village who was tested positive on 30 November 2021 – the person had been contact with someone who returned from South Africa on 18 November 2021.

Both were initially admitted in quarantine centres but were eventually allowed to leave after their PCR test was negative.

The Omicron variant is said to spread more easily than the Delta variant, but has milder symptoms.