South Korea may have detected the country's first Omicron variant Covid-19 case, the health authorities informed on Tuesday.
Health authorities have conducted a genome sequencing test on a couple who recently arrived in South Korea from Nigeria and tested positive for Covid, Yonhap news agency reported.
Reportedly, the result will be announced on Wednesday afternoon.
In the wake of Covid variant Omicron that emerged from South Africa, South Korea's government restricted the issuance of visas and travel from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe amid the spread of the new Omicron coronavirus variant, Yonhap news agency reported.
Travellers from these countries will have to undergo a 10-day compulsory quarantine at a special facility and will have to conduct three PCR tests.
While Spain reported its first case of Omicron variant on Monday, Japan reported their first Omicron variant on Tuesday.
A number of countries have reported confirmed or suspected cases of the Omicron, the new variant of COVID-19. The new variant has already been discovered in Australia, Botswana, Britain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands and Scotland.
Israel has become the first country in the world to shut its borders for foreign travellers owing to the Omicron scare. Soon after, Japan followed suit and barred foreign travellers from entering the country.
The World Health Organization advising its 194 member nations said, "The overall global risk related to the new variant of concern Omicron is assessed as very high."
