Saudi Arabia Confirms First Case of Omicron Variant

Saudi’s state-run SPA quoted a source from the health ministry as saying the infected individual – a Saudi national who has been isolated – had travelled back from a North African country.

Scientists have been scrambling to learn more about the effects of the Omicron variant, first detected in South Africa last week.

It remains unclear where or when the variant first emerged. But nations have rushed to impose travel restrictions, especially on visitors coming from Southern Africa, despite the World Health Organization’s call for “rational” measures in response to the new strain.