277 new cases of Omicron coronavirus variant detected in Bulgaria

227 new cases of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 have been confirmed in Bulgaria after cellogenomic sequencing performed by the National Centre for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases.

The 227 clinical samples were taken by January 10, 2022 in 40 hospitals in 18 districts in the country. The cases of Omicron have been detected in the districts as follows: Sofia-city - 130; Rousse - 28; Bourgas - 13; Plovdiv - 13; Pernik - 7; Veliko Turnovo - 5; Pazardzhik - 5; Varna - 4; Sofia region - 4; Gabrovo - 3; Sliven - 3; Blagoevgrad - 2; Kyustendil - 2; Montana - 2; Pleven - 2; Smolyan - 2; Stara Zagora -1; Haskovo - 1.

Of the 522 clinical samples with SARS-CoV-2, 43.5% were proven cases of the Omicron variant and 56.75% were of the Delta variant or its subvariants.

The clinical samples were taken from persons with Covid-19 until January 10, 2022 and were sent by 63 different medical institutions from 21 districts of the country.

The National Centre for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases continues to monitor the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in the country, with a focus on finding variants with accelerated spread, altered virulence and immunogenicity that are of significance for public health.