A total of 63 new cases of the Omicron variant were detected in Cyprus, the Ministry of Health announced on Friday.
 
As part of rigorous testing carried out in the Republic of Cyprus in view of the new, more infectious variant, 59 Omicron cases were detected after sequencing 192 samples collected between December 11 and 19, 2021. Tests were carried out by the Ministry in collaboration with the company NIPD and were analyzed by the Laboratory of Molecular Virology of the University of Cyprus.
 
In addition, 4 more samples were confirmed as Omicron after sequencing samples from the airports at the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics.
 
80 of the 192 samples were collected at airports, 9 from people staying at Eden Rehabilitation Center and 103 samples from the community.
 
In particular, 34 cases of the Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) emerged from samples collected at airports, 7 from Eden and 22 from the community.