Ljubljana - A total of ten cases of the highly infectious Omicron variant of coronavirus had been confirmed in Slovenia by Monday in two separate clusters, the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) has announced only a day after the authorities reported the first four cases of the new strain.

The infected persons have arrived from Sweden and the United Arab Emirates, with secondary transmissions already detected within the two clusters.

All of the patients report mild symptoms, the institute said, adding that the epidemiologists were tracing and identifying high risk contacts of the infected persons.

Borut Štrukelj, a researcher and professor at the Ljubljana Faculty of Pharmacy, said that while the new variant was highly virulent, indications were it could have milder symptoms.

This could be a positive scenario, but he also pointed to a negative scenario under which new mutations could develop and make the variant highly dangerous.

Citing studies showing booster jabs to be effective against Omicron, Štrukelj recommended boosters to everyone above the age of 30.

Health Minister Janez Poklukar said today Omicron represented not just a new threat but also a new wave, and it was only a matter of time when that would happen considering the speed at which Omicron infections are spreading in other European countries.

The group of experts advising the government on Covid-19 response will discuss potential new measures as it meets today, Poklukar said.