The Public Health Agency of Sweden is now expanding its recommendations for testing upon entry to all countries outside the Nordic region. Everyone traveling into the country is urged to test themselves immediately upon arrival.

The cause is the new virus variant Omikron, which has now been found in at least three people in Sweden, all of whom have recently traveled to southern Africa.

The recommendation to get tested applies to everyone traveling to Sweden from countries outside the Nordic region, and ideally it should be done on the same day. This applies to both vaccinated and unvaccinated people, and also to those who have had COVID-19 in the past six months. Only children younger than 6 years of age are exempt.

– We are seeing a rapid spread of omicron to many countries. It is therefore urgent to take further measures to detect cases early, so that infection control measures can be implemented, says FHM's Director General Karin Tegmark Wisell in a statement. press release.

Tracking the variant

How the testing will be done in practice is unclear, as is whether there is the capacity to scale up the capacity so that everyone can be tested on the day of arrival. 

On Monday, FHM stated that all positive test results after traveling abroad, as well as approximately 40 percent of all samples from people infected with Covid-19 in Sweden, are being analyzed to track the omicron variant.

For people who have traveled from southern Africa, there are special recommendations to stay at home for seven days, regardless of whether they have symptoms or vaccination. The call to stay at home also applies to children. In addition, a second test is also recommended five days after arrival.

Omikron is feared to be a potentially more contagious variant of Covid-19. The first known confirmed cases were recorded on November 9 in South Africa

Source: svt.se