State of emergency 2022, here is an extension. And Omicron variant worries

While Italy is grappling with the increase in daily covid infections and the Omicron variant worries the country and Europe, we are moving towards an extension of the state of emergency for another three months. And, according to what Adnkronos learns from government sources, the Council of Ministers for the green light should be held as early as this afternoon. In the legislative decree, the same sources explain, the extension to 31 March 2022 “and related measures”. Read also THE OMICRON VARIANT IN ITALY Meanwhile, the Omicron variant worries Italy: at the moment there are 27 cases. This is the updated data released by the ECDC, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, which – as of December 13 – has 1,686 cases reported so far from 23 countries in the European Union / European Economic Area. The first case of Omicron variant of the Sars-CoV-2 virus in Tuscany has been identified in Siena. The sequencing was carried out by the Uoc Microbiology and Virology of the Sienese university hospital, directed by Maria Grazia Cusi, on a tourist from Great Britain, on vacation in the Sienese area. The lady, vaccinated and asymptomatic, was admitted to the Santa Maria alle Scotte hospital for another pathology. And the first case of Omicron in Sicily has always been identified. This was announced by Governor Nello Musumeci himself. “In the regional laboratories of the Cqrc of Palermo – he explained – the first case of the Omicron variant was sequenced, also in Sicily. It is not a surprise and our epidemiological surveillance system was prepared for this”. Cytogenetics laboratory of the Angelo’s hospital, the Omicron variant was sequenced on two swabs. They belong to two spouses residing in Mira, who returned from South Africa a few days ago. Before their positivity to Covid was ascertained, the two travelers were immediately subjected to quarantine, as required by ministerial decree in the case of returning from South Africa. They therefore had no contact with other people once they returned from abroad. Ulss 3 has informed Usmaf of the two cases, so that it can proceed with the customary tracking of the travelers who shared the flight for 11 hours with the two Miresi. I am now in solitary confinement at home. At the moment only one of the two is symptomatic.The OMICRON VARIANT IN EUROPE The other EU / See countries that have reported cases of Omicron are: Austria (17), Belgium (30), Croatia (3), Cyprus (3), Czech Republic (8), Denmark (195), Estonia (26), Finland (20), France (59), Germany (82), Greece (3), Iceland (20), Ireland (10), Latvia (5), Liechtenstein (1), the Netherlands (62), Norway (958), Portugal (49), Romania (8), Slovakia (3) Spain (36) and Sweden (23), according to information from public sources. In addition, numerous probable cases have been reported in different countries. Of these, 47 are countries and territories outside the EU / See, which reported a total of 4,744 cases of Omicron. To have communicated infections from this variant were: Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bermuda (United Kingdom), Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Cuba, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Fiji, Ghana, Gibraltar, India, Israel , Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mexico, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Taiwan , Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Zambia and Zimbabwe.