As ‘Omicron’ variant spreads, 13 new cases detected in Netherlands 

Amsterdam: The Omicron coronavirus variant kept spreading around the world as 13 new cases emerged in the Netherlands even after more countries imposed travel restriction to try to seal themselves off. 

Omicron—dubbed a "variant of concern" by the World Health Organization, has been detected in 13 people who arrived in the Dutch capital Amsterdam on two flights from South Africa. 

They were among 61 passengers who tested positive for COVID-19 on the two flights, which carried about 600 people. 

Those who tested positive are being kept in isolation at a hotel near the airport.

The new variant of COVID was identified days ago by researchers in South Africa, and much is still not known about it, including whether it is more contagious, more likely to cause serious illness or more able to evade the protection of vaccines. 

Cases of the omicron variant of the coronavirus popped up in countries on opposite sides of the world Sunday.

Dutch Health Minister Hugo de Jonge made an “urgent request” for people who have returned from southern Africa to get tested for Covid “as soon as possible”.

“It is not unthinkable that there are more cases in the Netherlands,” he told reporters.

Moreover, cases of the heavily mutated variant have now been reported in a number of countries around the world, including several in Europe, such as the UK, Germany and Italy. 

The discovery of Omicron has sparked worries around the world that it could resist vaccinations and prolong the nearly two-year COVID-19 pandemic.