Portugal probes local transmission of omicron at soccer team

By ARITZ PARRA and HELENA ALVES
Associated Press

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Portuguese health authorities have identified 13 cases of the omicron coronavirus variant among members of a top soccer club, and were investigating possible local transmission of the virus outside of southern Africa. The Ricardo Jorge National Health Institute said that one of those who tested positive was a player from the Lisbon-based Belenenses SAD soccer club who had recently traveled to South Africa, where the omicron variant was first identified. The others, however, had not traveled there, indicating that this may be one of the very first cases of local transmission of the virus outside of southern Africa.