Spain detects its first case of the Omicron variant due to community transmission

The regional authorities of the Community of Madrid reported this Thursday the detection of the first contagion of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 in a vaccinated person without links to countries considered at risk.

Authorities are investigating two other similar suspicious cases.

This is the fourth confirmed case of the variant in Spain, but the first to show that Ómicron is already circulating in the country.

On Wednesday, the Catalonia region said it had detected possible traces of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus in wastewater samples from the end of November.

The affected person in Madrid had received two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine and he had no history of travel or close contact with another person with ties to countries where this variant has been detected, authorities said.

This is a 62-year-old man, who has had mild symptoms since November 29 and remains isolated at home, while his closest contacts have been quarantined, according to authorities. The other two cases under investigation also have only mild symptoms and no history of travel to risky countries.