BA.1 Omicron Variant of SARS-CoV-2: First Case Reported in Calabria Region, Italy

In December 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiologic agent of disease 2019 (COVID-19), emerged in Wuhan, China. Several variants concern (VOCs) have been identified so far. Recently, B.1.1.529 (Omicron) variant SARS-CoV-2 spread rapidly worldwide. We describe first case Omicron genetic lineage BA.1 our region. The patient is a physician who traveled to Johannesburg (South Africa) and returned Reggio Calabria (Italy). He underwent screening before leaving—a required procedure where travelers present negative PCR test one-day prior departing. Three days after arriving Italy, he started experiencing cold symptoms. Clinically, was without fever or symptoms reported suffering from sore throat. nasopharyngeal swab specimen tested by TaqPath COVID-19 RT-PCR sequenced Sanger sequencing, next-generation sequencing (NGS) data were processed with their relative software. A peculiar drop-off S gene obtained RT-PCR. mutations indicative both methods, pointing out 17 29 recognized 28 NGS.