Omicron variant has spread so widely it's even 'most likely' in Antarctica

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The Omicron variant has been detected in nearly every corner of the globe, including a likely outbreak in Antarctica.

According to data from the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID), which provides open-source genomic information on the influenza virus and COVID-19, 116 countries have shared genome sequences of the Omicron variant “with unprecedented speed.”

The data does not include Antarctica, which is home to between 1,000 and 4,000 people depending on the time of year.

Antarctica -- coincidentally home to the Omicron Islands -- had nine positive COVID-19 cases in December at the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica research station, stemming from a Dec. 9 flight from Cape Town, South Africa, according to a Jan. 4 notice from the International Polar Foundation (IPF).

In late November, South Africa was among the first countries to detect the Omicron variant.

In an email to CTVNews.ca on Jan. 12, Joseph Cheek, science and communications officer with the IPF, said everyone who contracted COVID-19 has since recovered and there are currently no active cases at the research station.

“The station doctor believes that the cluster has run its course,” Cheek wrote in the statement.  “Everyone who caught COVID has now recovered and is back to work (those who did had only mild symptoms). Life at the station has been back to normal for about two weeks already.”

“Based on the symptoms observed in those who tested positive, our medical team estimates that it is most likely the Omicron variant that had infected our colleagues.”

Cheek said a flight scheduled for Jan. 12 has been delayed due to weather, but none of the incoming passengers have backed out due to the COVID-19 situation in Antarctica, and no one on the island has opted to leave either.

“We're taking the situation very seriously and are paying extra attention during the final weeks of the 2021-22 season,” Cheek added.

Of the 116 countries with confirmed cases submitted to the GISAID, the United Kingdom has the most with 130,071 cases, followed by the United States with 97,198. Canada has only submitted 3,879 Omicron cases.