First Detection of India-Origin COVID-19 Variant in Switzerland: "Airport Transit Passenger"

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] The first case of the COVID-19 variant originating from India has been reported in Switzerland.

On the 24th (local time), according to AFP, the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health announced that the Indian variant was detected in a transit passenger at the airport.

However, the agency did not disclose further details, the report said.

Recently, as a more contagious COVID-19 variant was discovered in India, countries around the world have been closely monitoring the situation.

However, Switzerland has not yet designated India as a high-risk COVID-19 country.

Travelers entering Switzerland from high-risk countries must quarantine for 10 days.

In this regard, the Federal Office of Public Health stated that it is currently discussing whether to include India on the high-risk country list.

According to the real-time statistics site Worldometer, as of the previous day, Switzerland, with a population of about 8.7 million, reported 2,113 new COVID-19 cases and 11 new deaths.

The cumulative number of confirmed cases stands at 646,509, with a total of 10,566 deaths.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.