After a first case confirmed on Tuesday on Reunion Island, two other cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus were detected in France, this time in metropolitan France, the regional health agencies were announced on Thursday. One of these cases, confirmed this Thursday morning, is in Île-de-France. The other concerns a resident in the Haut-Rhin. Both cases concern travelers returning from Africa.
The first metropolitan case, identified in Île-de-France, was not vaccinated
The first case, in Île-de-France, concerns a man returning from a stay in Nigeria, unvaccinated against Covid and aged 50 to 60 years. He did not present no symptoms at the time of the test, according to the ARS. His wife, who accompanied him on this trip, also unvaccinated, “has tested positive for Covid-19 and sequencing is underway to verify whether it is also the Omicron variant”, said the ARS.
The entourage was tested and placed in solitary confinement. This traveler, who lives in Seine-et-Marne, tested positive for Covid when he got off the plane on November 25. He is remained in isolation at his home with his wife since their arrival on the territory, taking into account the positive result of the test. A third person living under the same roof was tested on Thursday to determine if they were contaminated and, if so, if they are carriers of the variant. This third person is not vaccinated either, said the ARS.
A second case in Haut-Rhin, a woman vaccinated
The second case, detected in the Haut-Rhin, concerns a woman, aged 40 to 50 years with a “complete vaccination schedule”, according to the ARS du Grand Est. She had tested positive on returning from a trip to South Africa, and placed in isolation, before sequencing reveals the nature of the variant. “Few at-risk contacts have been identified”, specifies the ARS.
Thirteen suspected cases in the territory
Government spokesman Gabriel Attal said on Wednesday “13 suspected cases of the Omicron variant in the territory”, expecting proven cases “in the next few hours or days”.
Faced with the threat of this new variant, France announced on Wednesday a tightening of the conditions of access to territory, by imposing in particular a negative test for all travelers, even vaccinated, coming from a country outside the European Union.