Suspected omicron cases in Kurdistan Region are being investigated: Health Minister

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region is testing a number of individuals suspected of having the coronavirus’s new omicron variant, the health minister told Kurdistan 24 on Wednesday.

“There are a number of suspected cases [of omicron],” Health Minister Saman Barzinji told Kurdistan 24 on Wednesday.

Health authorities are investigating further to confirm whether or not they are in fact the new variant, he added.

The Kurdistan Region has the testing capacity to identify omicron, which was first detected in South Africa.

Research is underway to determine the rate of transmissibility of the new variant compared to previous contagious variants of the virus such as Delta.

Health experts in the US, the UK, and Europe report increasing numbers of people infected with the new variant, forcing a number of countries to reimpose strict public health measures to prevent a widespread outbreak.

Barzinji previously announced that Kurdish authorities are monitoring travelers at airports for suspected omicron cases.

Read More: KRG monitoring travelers for new Omicron COVID-19 variant, says health minister

The Kurdistan Region recently announced that over 600,000 of its citizens have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, citing official figures. 

Health scientists are worried the newly mutated variant might evade vaccine-induced antibodies against the contagion. 

Since the coronavirus outbreak in early 2020, the Kurdistan Region has so far recorded nearly 380,000 infections, of which more than 7,000 have resulted in fatalities.