The Son Espases microbiology laboratory in Palma has confirmed four new cases of the SARS CoV-2 Omicron variant in Mallorca, three from one family and a fourth from a traveller from South Africa, bringing to six the number of cases detected on the island. This has been confirmed by the Regional Ministry of Health, following the initial two cases of people arriving in Mallorca from South Africa.
Sources at the laboratory explained to this newspaper that the conventional PCRs carried out to confirm a positive result can detect a specific mutation of the dreaded variant that has emerged from South Africa. However, to be absolutely certain that Omicron is behind the four new positives, it is necessary to wait until tomorrow to carry out another more specific PCR and the customary genomic sequencing, they explained. “But there is little doubt” that these cases will ultimately be attributed to the Omicron variant, the same sources said.
What both the Health Department and Microbiology were quick to confirm is that it seems there has not yet been any community transmission of this variant in the Balearic Islands. The two cases confirmed until today were people from South Africa and the four pending confirmation involve another person who arrived in Mallorca from South Africa, as well as a family outbreak triggered by a resident on the same island who recently arrived from the mainland and infected two more people in his own family.
Community transmission occurs when new cases are registered in the archipelago among people who have had no contact with those infected abroad.