Riyadh: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia confirmed its first case of the Omicron COVID-19 variant coming from a north African country, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Wednesday, December 1, 2021.
The report said the infected individual and his close contacts had been quarantined.
The case marks the first-known instance of omicron being detected among Gulf Arab nations.
Much remains unknown about the new variant, which has been identified in more than 20 countries, including whether it is more contagious, whether it makes people more seriously ill, and whether it can thwart the vaccine.
Dr Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious disease expert, said more would be known about the omicron strain in two to four weeks as scientists grow and test lab samples of the virus.