The first case of the BA.5 Omicron sub-variant registered in Finland has been detected in a laboratory located in the south-western part of the country.
The laboratory of clinical microbiology at Turku University Hospital reported the infection on Wednesday.
In its press release, the hospital stated that the variant was found in a Finnish citizen who had returned from a trip to Central America during May Day.
About 760 cases of the BA.5 variant have been reported in at least 19 countries worldwide since the first case was diagnosed in South Africa earlier this month. There have also been a few isolated cases in the Nordic countries.
Current coronavirus vaccines have so far been found to be ineffective against the variant, but the vaccine protects people from serious illness if they become infected.
Source: The Nordic Page