Portuguese football club’s Covid-19 outbreak likely to be Omicron variant

Belenenses` SAD players talk with the referee before the Portuguese league football match between Belenenses SAD and SL Benfica at the Jamor stadium in Oeiras, outskirts of Lisbon. Photo/AFP

The 13 reported cases of Covid-19 at the Portuguese football club Belenenses, whose league match against Benfica was called off at the weekend when their team was reduced to just six players, appear to be the Omicron variant, Portugal's national health institute (INSA) announced on Monday.

If confirmed, the cases would be the first in Portugal of the new Coronavirus strain. "Preliminary tests carried out by INSA strongly suggest that all 13 cases associated to Belenenses players are linked to the Omicron variant of concern," the institute said in a statement.

INSA added that one of Belenenses players had recently travelled in South Africa, where the Omicron variant was first identified. Dozens of nations from Europe to Asia have suspended travel from South Africa.

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