Macau has recorded its first case of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Center reported.
According to a statement from the Center, the Omicron variant was detected in a 23-year-old resident, who was a student in the US who returned to Macau on December 26.
The resident tested positive for Covid-19 upon arrival in Macau, and has been confirmed as the 78th case of infection with the virus.
“The Health Bureau Public Health Laboratory sequenced the virus’ genome, the result of which showed [yesterday] that the patient was infected with the Omicron variant of the virus, recently discovered worldwide. This is the first case of Omicron variant infection in Macau,” the Center noted.
According to information disclosed on the patient’s route, the man left the US on December 23, having received a negative nucleic acid test (NAT). He then made a stopover in Singapore before continuing to Macau.
On his arrival in Macau, he received a positive result on another NAT and was immediately treated in isolation.
The Center said that the resident had no symptoms of the disease upon arriving in Macau, but that almost two days later he started to present with several symptoms including coughing and expectoration.
The Center also noted that the Omicron variant “is more contagious than the Delta variant,” urging residents abroad to follow the principle of “traveling only if strictly necessary” and minimize optional trips that may increase the risk of contagion.
However, according to researchers elsewhere, this variant is being proved to be less aggressive.
Fears of contagion with the Omicron variant have been fueled by a recent study conducted by researchers from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, who concluded that the Sinopharm vaccine, including the booster jab, is significantly less effective against this variant.
The study conducted by the Shanghai-based lab specializing in respiratory infectious diseases compared the activity of Sinopharm’s booster vaccine against an older coronavirus strain from Wuhan.
It was concluded that the Covid-19 booster shot produced by Sinopharm had “significantly lower” neutralizing activity against the Omicron variant, although they added the vaccine’s efficacy against Omicron remained unclear.
