52 new cases of Omicron confirmed in Bulgaria

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

The 52 clinical samples were taken by January 3, 2022 in 13 hospitals in 9 districts in the country. The cases of Omicron have been registered in the districts as follows: Sofia-city - 38; Pazardzhik - 6; Sofia-district - 2; Bourgas - 1; Varna - 1; Plovdiv - 1; Rousse - 1; Sliven - 1; Stara Zagora - 1.

Of the 505 clinical samples with SARS-CoV-2, 10.3% were proven cases of the Omicron variant and 89.7% of the Delta variant or its subvariants.

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 important for public health.