One of the first people in the world to have the Omicron variant of Covid-19 claims he caught the virus while in London for a medical conference.
Israeli cardiologist Elad Maor says he believes he was infected while in the capital for the three-day PCR London Valves 2021 conference at ExCeL London on 21-23 November, attended by 1,250 people. His claims raise questions about how long the new variant has been circulating in the UK and Europe.
“I got the Omicron in London, for sure,” he told The Guardian. “That is interesting because that was 10 days ago in London – really, really early.”
Maor stayed in North London during the conference, travelling to the venue by tube and Docklands Light Railway.
“Many of the people on the tube were not wearing masks,” he said. “I was actually surprised by that.”
He took PCR tests on both 20 and 21 November, in line with UK and Israeli travel rules, which both came back negative. He returned to Israel on 23 November, where he had a third PCR test, which also came back negative. Back at home he began experiencing symptoms, before testing positive in a fourth PCR test on 27 November.
Symptoms of Covid-19 typically appear within five days of exposure to the virus, although the incubation period is thought to be anything up to 14 days.
“The only reasonable explanation is that I got infected on the last day of the meeting – maybe at the airport, maybe at the meeting,” he said. “So either the second day of the meeting or the last day of the meeting because there is a lag between the time you get infected, and when the PCR turns positive.”
Maor’s wife, who accompanied him to London, is yet to experience any symptoms or test positive for Covid-19. The doctor, who is triple-jabbed, added that he believes the transmissibility of Omicron is not extremely different to the Delta variant and urged people to get vaccinated if eligible.
“Things could have ended much worse for my family and friends – I am sure that my disease could have been worse if not for the vaccine.”
Conference organisers The Europa Group, based in Toulouse, posted a message on the official conference website confirming it had learned on 30 November that a delegate had tested positive after returning to their home country.
A spokesperson said: “As you may imagine, the health, safety and wellbeing of everyone who visited PCR London Valves was our number one priority.
“All protocols mandated by the UK government were put in place. Anyone entering the congress centre had to present a valid health pass and were requested to wear a mask. Hydro-alcoholic gel and masks were made readily available for all participants and disposal bins for used protective equipment were provided.”
A desire to travel led Holly Patrick to the business meetings and events world and she’s never looked back. Holly takes a particular interest in event sustainability and creating a diverse and inclusive industry. When she’s not working, she can be found rolling skating along Brighton seafront listening to an eclectic playlist, featuring the likes of Patti Smith, Sean Paul, and Arooj Aftab.
