Suspected cases had been detected in recent weeks.
The government confirmed on Thursday that it was the new Omicron variant.The government wants to be reassuring. It believes that the circulation of the variant has not been proven despite the existence of about twenty cases. To date, Omicron cases have only been detected in travellers and people in contact with travellers. The government states that the people concerned have been isolated. In other words, “the circulation of the Omicron variant in the population is not proven, for the moment”.
Omicron can now be tested in Caledonia
However, the government has asked the population to get tested. The incidence rate continues to rise. It has risen from 80 per 100,000 inhabitants on Wednesday 5 January to 87 per 100,000 inhabitants over the last seven days.
The big news is the tests. The equipment needed to detect Omicron is now operational in New Caledonia. Staff have been trained to use it. The tests carried out are no longer sent to France.
